


Sweaters in the Summertime

by Rosebrewery



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Basically just their relationship but with this added detail, Canon Compliant, First Times, Idiots in Love, M/M, Missing Scenes, Tw:mention of past self harm, everyone is happy ok it’s all good, mostly fluff and smut not super angsty, no actual depictions or romanticization of self harm, so much love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2021-01-15 08:31:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 35,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21250460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosebrewery/pseuds/Rosebrewery
Summary: David and his sweaters were like peanut butter and jelly, wine and cheese, Mariah Carey and Christmas. They just went together, rain or shine, and no one questioned it. Except for Patrick.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the episode The Roast, where Johnny says David is “not smart enough to stop wearing sweaters in summer”. The line instantly reminded me of my own teen years of wearing long sleeves in the summer, and I wanted to explore the idea GENTLY and lovingly with David. Nothing super triggering or depressing I promise. Otherwise canon compliant. Includes seasons 4 and 5 meaning smut of course ;) 
> 
> Essentially a behind the scenes look at some key moments in their relationship.
> 
> Chapter one set somewhere between 3.9 and 3.11 idk it’s vague but pre Stevie & David slumber party

Sweaters in the Summertime

David and his sweaters were like peanut butter and jelly, wine and cheese, Mariah Carey and Christmas. They just went together, rain or shine, and no one questioned it. Except for Patrick.

“How can you wear all that in this heat?” Patrick asked incredulously. It was almost 33°C and the week long heat wave hadn’t been forecasted to let up, yet David was clad in multiple layers of all black, including a thick mohair sweater. They were in the process of hauling in some new items for the backroom and Patrick was sweating in his light blue button up. Even with the sleeves rolled up and quite a few buttons undone, he wished he was in just a T-shirt. He couldn’t imagine wearing all those extra layers. David had spent a lot of time in warmer climates, like California, but that still didn’t explain why he dressed so impractically for the weather.

Since his move to Schitt’s Creek, David had been teased for his “funky” fashion taste by multiple locals who considered the _Blouse Barn_ to be high-end. So this was nothing new to him. “All of _this_, is Saint Laurent,” he stated matter of factly, waving his hand over his body to showcase his outfit. He only held in a remark about Patrick’s unfortunate brown belt/black shoes combo because he’d been letting him do all the work. Also maybe David liked how he looked with all those buttons undone, a little light colored chest hair just peeking out over the top of his undershirt.

“Right, but would Saint Laurent want you getting heatstroke? Doesn’t sound very saintly to me. I bet you’d be able to lift higher if you weren’t wearing half a goat,” Patrick bantered, his tone both playful and exasperated. The most David had helped in this whole process was lifting the side of the vintage wardrobe about an inch, while Patrick practically dragged it off the truck. He didn’t really mind, or ever expect David to be much help with the heavy lifting. He was a strong enough guy and he knew who his business partner was. But damn, a little help would’ve been nice, he thought as they wiggled the wardrobe up over the step leading to the door.

Roland had been at the same estate sale as them, and after losing a bidding war over a neon beer girl sign, he had kindly offered to drive their furniture to the store. Naturally he’d bailed as soon as they’d unloaded it, to avoid having to help further. Some excuse about him and Jocelyn having a spa date.

“Mhmm mhmm I’d like to assume you know he’s not a real saint, just for the sake of time… And you’re doing _such_ a great job, you’ve really got the whole “lift with your back” thing down. I don’t want to disrupt your process,” he replied, putting on an innocent air that couldn’t mask his sass. 

“I hope no one taught you to lift with your back. It’s legs David. Lift with you legs.”

“No one taught me to lift anything, they were always people for that.”

“So nothing’s changed then?”

David rolled his eyes. “I’m not gonna apologize for buying this beautiful piece for our store. Heavy just means it’ll last longer. And there’s not exactly an IKEA in Elmdale, Patrick. Our resources are, at best, limited.”

Our store. Patrick liked the sound of that. “I’m having a hard time picturing you in an IKEA.”

“I’ll have you know,” David scoffed, “I’ve been to IKEA sev-er-al times. Have you _tried_ their Swedish meatballs? _In_ Sweden?”

Patrick shook his head with a little smile as David started yammering on about has failed past attempts at manual labor and how maybe he was more of an aesthetics guy. That much was obvious. Patrick lowered his side of the dresser to the ground after they’d cleared the doorway. He took a moment to remove his shirt before he could completely ruin it with sweat stains, leaving him in just a white tank top. Normally he’d consider it unprofessional, but the store wasn’t even open for a couple more weeks and he was too damn hot to care.

The sight of Patrick carefully unbuttoning his shirt and tossing it onto a pile of boxes, leaving his muscular arms exposed and every curve of his torso hugged by his undershirt, _did_ something to David. He was pretty damn sure this man was straight (though he tried not to assume anyone’s preferences) and he wasn’t really his usual type (not that his type had worked out so well for him in the past). But mmm he must go to the gym. 

He tried to ignore Patrick’s allure and told him the story about building a chest with Mutt, leading to him explaining the entirety of the Alexis/Mutt/Ted drama to Patrick. For some reason he went into the details of his friendship and past “situation” with Stevie as well. Patrick was such an attentive listener, it made David open up about things without having planned to. Also, he hardly ever offered up details about himself and his past, so it seemed up to David to endow the conversation.

The work went on as usual, sharing quips and anecdotes to pass the time after they’d moved on to unpacking boxes. Once they’d worked into the evening, they decided to open a bottle of wine and relax for a minute. Patrick made the decision to not put his sweaty shirt back on, even as the temperature cooled, which David found unhelpful. He didn’t want to be accidentally checking out this guy who was clearly, most likely, probably, no -definitely not into him, and might get scared off by any perceived advances. He knew he needed Patrick for this store to be successful, but he also just appreciated the company. He didn’t have a lot of friends in this town, or anywhere else, and Patrick was quickly rising from acquaintance to Stevie-level friend.

The store was lit only by table lamps at the moment, as David had been procrastinating calling the electrician to wire the overhead lights. It filled the space with a soft warm glow that would’ve made for wonderful mood lighting, if anyone happened to be in that kind of mood. Most days they only worked when the sun was up, but they were so close to opening and they’d gotten a late start today (David’s fault, not that he’d admit it). They wanted to take advantage of the cooler evening temperature to make more progress.

“So why the sweaters though?” Patrick brought up out of the blue. He was sitting on the edge of the desk and looking down at David who was perched on a large unopened box across from him. The last thing they’d been talking about was David’s time with a much older boyfriend at his French vineyard and how _that_ wine would be absolutely wasted on the citizens of Schitt’s Creek. So the sudden question threw David for a loop. No one ever probed when he implied that they just didn’t get it. They went along with it because David was like some kind of alien to them and they didn’t feel the need to question the reasoning behind his every eccentricity. His brow furrowed while he uncrossed his legs and crossed the other leg. Why wouldn’t Patrick let this go?

“I told you they’re-“

“Designer, right,” Patrick interrupted, “but there _are_ designer clothes that aren’t 100% wool. I’ve never seen you in anything but those sweaters, which are very cool, but do you ever… mix it up a bit?” His tone was curious, not affronting, he just wanted to understand a little more about this man he’d been spending so much of his time with. David clearly had no problem talking about himself so Patrick didn’t see how this would be any different. He refilled David’s plastic cup with wine, as he watched him formulate a response. 

“And YOU know that jeans come in more than just straight leg right? Or do you enjoy having a look that screams ‘divorced youth pastor’? Maybe just stick to business rules and leave the fashion ones to me?” David finally snapped back with a sneer, after a moment of thought. It was harsher than necessary, especially because he knew that Patrick had no ill intent, and was generally a sweet and considerate person all around. But the continued pressing, when he’d already dismissed the question earlier, felt too invasive. 

Suddenly David was spinning things in his head and rewriting Patrick as having ‘invaded’ his business and ‘invaded’ his life. He felt suffocated and wanted to lash out. Really he was just anxious and being a dick because he had no legitimate reason to be private about this with Patrick and he knew it. He finished his refilled cup in one big gulp and his posture became more distant, shoulders slouched, arms crossed, and eyes looking down at Patrick’s sad pleather loafers. They were dangling (adorably) almost a foot above the ground, because the desk was high and Patrick wasn’t the tallest. He waited for Patrick to snap back at him or storm off, because that’s what people do when David has a nasty attitude, but of course Patrick had to be Patrick.

“Okay, David. We don’t have to talk about it,” Patrick told him gently, raising his hands defensively. His interest was peaked but he knew to drop it for now. His face was calm and open, like always, which made it hard for David to stay mad at him. “But for the record, I would be a _very_ hip youth pastor. You’ve never been to church have you?” The teasing lightened the mood which David was grateful for. His body relaxed and he scrunched his nose, feeling guilty for all the negativity he’d just mentally spewed at Patrick. His eyes flickered up from Patrick’s shoes to the bulge in his jeans, before he quickly turned his gaze out the dark windows.

“Ew? Do you realize how early a church service starts? I need at least 9-10 hours of sleep to look this good,” he gestured to his hair and face. “Besides I don’t think I’d really _fit in_ amongst the holy.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Patrick chuckled, thinking about how David did look very good. He’d never seen him looking frazzled or undone. His skin seemed to glow and his hair was always styled to perfection, as if it just fell that way naturally. He wanted to run his fingers through it and mess it up. The thought of David looking all disheveled was highly distracting.

“Well… I’m not a church goer myself. Being forced to spend my Sundays on a hard pew for 18 years definitely ruined that for me. But I do like to get an early start. We can’t all be as beautiful and unproductive as David Rose.” His heart started pounding and his face felt hot as he heard the words that came out of his mouth. Half of him wanted David to realize he was getting hit on, and half wanted to play it off as his usual witty banter. He just let it hang there and nervously sipped his drink. He’d never hit on any man before so this was all brand new territory. It had only been a few weeks since he’d realized his feelings for David and it had been a wild ride both emotionally and physically. He’d been spending a LOT longer in the shower at Ray’s.

“Well, thank you for that backhanded compliment, I’ll try to be more “productive”?” David replied lifting one hand without uncrossing his arms, to add dramatic air quotes. His lips pressed together to conceal a smile. He tried not to read anything into Patrick calling him beautiful, though it caused him to blush slightly. Smoothing out the wrinkles in his pants from sitting, he stood from the box, planning to start doing something “productive” to make a point, and reached over Patrick to set his empty cup on the desk.

He became aware that he incredibly close to Patrick, basically standing in between his spread legs. He could smell his sweat strongly mixed with his natural deodorant and it was painfully sexy to David. A major difference from how squeaky clean he’d usually smelled whenever they’d been near each other. Like he used nothing but Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap head to toe. He couldn’t help but wonder what he smelled like during sex. He found himself breathing in the smell a little too deeply and hoped Patrick didn’t notice because it was probably a little creepy. 

As he went to take a step back and create space between them, Patrick put his hand on David’s shoulder, stopping him in his tracks and making solid eye contact with him. It made his heart speed up and the Kill Bill siren go off in his head. The look on Patrick’s face was so determined, so focused.

“W-what,” David stammered.

Patrick was a little buzzed and had felt brave for a moment. He’d thought ok, this is it, make a move. But of course he chickened out yet again. “I… You uh, better head home if you want to get those 10 hours. I’ll finish up some stuff here and I’ll come pick you up tomorrow, yeah?” he said instead, kicking himself for being a coward. 

“Umm.. sure.”

He’d tried a few times now to confess his attraction, but he could never do it. He was too afraid of getting rejected and completely fucking up their partnership. Instead he’d defaulted to talking about the picture frame or other business matters to change the subject. He knew what he wanted though, he was determined to make David his -if that’s what David wanted- someday. It could take him years to finally bridge that gap, but he owed it to himself to see it through. He was only 29 but he felt like he’d already wasted decades of his life not knowing himself, and not knowing this complicated, powerful, angel of a man.

It was for the best, he still couldn’t get a read on how David felt about him, and the comment about his style was definitely a point in the “he’s not in to me” column. His hand moved from David’s shoulder and unintentionally slid down his arm as he hopped off the counter, leaving him just inches from David. He was close enough to feel the warmth radiating from his body. The energy was very heavy for a beat and he felt his arms prickle with goosebumps and his blood rushing to his dick. So he cleared his throat and awkwardly patted David’s arm before scooting past him to start messing with something random.

David felt that same thick energy between them, but once again doubted himself and wrote it off as Patrick just being a charming, personable (and slightly intoxicated) guy. He could still feel where Patrick’s hand had been on his arm. It felt all tingly. Alexis’ insistence that there was something between them must have been getting to his head, he thought. Or maybe he just really needed to get laid.

“Do we really have to be there at 8? In the morning? AM?” David groaned.

“If you want to get an exclusive contract with that raw honey soap then yeah, I’ll pick you up at 7:45. Go home David, I got this.” Patrick was shuffling things around pointlessly, avoiding eye contact and trying to will his erection away. He felt like a teenager. Like how they were depicted in movies at least, because he’d never felt this easily turned on when he was one himself.

David didn’t know what exactly Patrick was trying to do and why he couldn’t just leave at the same time as him and give him a ride home, but whatever. It was only a 10 minute walk and he could certainly leave the store in Patrick’s capable hands. He gathered his things, said goodbye, and walked home with a promise to text him when he made it home safely. He’d actually been working very hard on the store. Decorating and organizing, networking with vendors and building up their social media accounts. Some extra sleep would certainly be welcome before they had to meet up early the next day at their vendor’s bee farm. 

When he made it back to the motel, he had an urge to dish to his sister about Patrick, but he instead changed the subject when she brought him up. David didn’t want to feed into her fantasies about him and Patrick being a thing. He’d already started feeding into his own a little too much for his own good. 

After listening to Alexis vent about her own love life -or lack thereof- for a while, he grabbed a set of pajamas and headed to the bathroom to shower off the day. He stripped off his sweaty clothes and made a mental note to make a trip to the dry cleaners in Elmsdale soon. Of course he was sweaty as fuck in his sweaters. He could’ve worn one of his white knits today too, but they were at an estate sale which is practically a funeral, so white would’ve been incorrect.

Even though he had his reasons, that didn’t mean he wanted to defend himself and his fashion choices to Patrick or anyone else. The Taurus rising in him definitely outweighed his Gemini sun, because he didn’t care that he was stubborn and set in his ways, that was just who he was. Everyone else could just deal with it.

As the shower dripped on him with its disappointingly weak water pressure, he glanced down at the faded white scars on his forearms, running his finger over them and feeling the bumpy texture that was distinctly different from his otherwise smooth and heavily moisturized skin. The scars were over a decade old and weren’t that noticeable, but David still felt a bit self conscious about them. He wasn’t embarrassed, or ashamed, he just hated the way they led to awkward questions and worse, pity from people who saw them. Not that people saw them often. 

In his teen years he’d grown accustomed to wearing long sleeves, even in hot weather, to hide the cuts from his family members and “friends”. It was hardly the worst thing kids were doing in his rich, drug fueled friend group, but he knew he’d be gossiped about in the tabloids if he opened up to them about anything beyond the superficial. He could handle the drama in other aspects of his spoiled life, but that was too personal.

Eventually his family had found out when Alexis saw the cuts and snitched, even after he’d threatened to tell their parents about her back tattoo. They naturally made it all about themselves, the Rose family way, and David was put on even more medications and forced to see a therapist, who he just ended up fucking. But that’s a trauma for another time.

None of that made any real difference to his habit/addiction/whatever. Eventually he just grew out of it in his early twenties, except for a few relapses. It wasn’t that his mental health had gotten any better, he’d just found different forms of self harm. Letting people use him for sex, numbing himself with drugs, watching really bad Australian reality television until he wanted to rip his eyes out… He was also tired of his sexual partners acting disgusted and making him feel ashamed about it. Those who even paid enough attention to him to notice, that is.

There’d even been the incident with Sebastien Raine taking “artful” photos of his scars while he slept, and uploading them on his photography site without his permission shortly after he’d dumped him. It had been this whole _debacle_ and it really messed things up for David.

The reason he’d started cutting in the first place was a mystery even to him. It was probably a mix of needing his perpetually busy family’s attention, coping with his anxiety disorder while trying to figure out his sexuality, and a degree of body dysmorphia and self hatred. But the reasons didn’t matter now, it was in the past and he rarely thought about it. He did however, not want to deal with anyone in Schitt’s Creek knowing about it.

Gossip spread like wildfire in the small town and it was easier to just wear long sleeves all the time, than to have _Roland_ feeling sorry for him, as if he was wasn’t the sorriest little man himself. There were a couple people in town who maybe knew, because there had been times when he’d just not given a fuck and worn short sleeves. He tended to just keep his arms close to his body when he did. After years of doing it by necessity, it was just habit, like throwing on a sweater every morning.

Stevie was the first to notice, almost immediately after he’d shown up at the ramshackle motel with his family, to start this new chapter of their lives. She had pointed them out as she helped him sort through his excess of clothes and bluntly told him, “I did that too when I was a kid,” before changing the subject. They didn’t discuss it further, but later on when they’d had their misguided attempt at friends with benefits, David noticed the scars on her upper thighs. They didn’t talk about it, because neither of them were big on emotions, and they both just got it. It was likely a factor in helping solidify their friendship. They had an understanding of one another and at least one thing they related on.

Sex with Jake had been rough and dirty, but David never even made it out of his sweater. Not that Jake would have even noticed the scars. He was so self absorbed it was entirely possibly that he didn’t see David at all during sex. David wouldn’t have been surprised if he was just imagining that he was fucking his own gorgeous, but dumb as a brick, self.

Twyla was the only other person to notice. At the ill advised dinner party with Alexis, Ted, Twyla, Mutt, Stevie and him, she’d made some bizarre comments. She’d asked him if he had a cat and nodded in gesture to his scars, when his sleeves were rolled up and his elbow was propped on the arm of his chair, exposing his forearm. He’d told her “no,” bluntly and crossed his arms. She’d gone on to talk about her great aunt who had scratches from her cat but it turned out she didn’t have a cat and everyone thought she had hallucinated it, because she’d also hallucinated that Santa Claus spoke through her. But then they’d found a used litter box under her bed, so it was anyone’s guess. David felt both compassion and bewilderment at Twyla’s complicated family history. He wasn’t sure if she understood that his scars were self inflicted and was playing coy, or if she was just on some whole other plane of existence. Either way she never brought it up again, not that they ever really talked, and she didn’t seem to have discussed it with anyone else.

In his last few years in Schitt’s Creek, no one else had ever noticed or said anything about it. And now, there was Patrick. For some reason he _really_ did not want to explain his past self harm to Patrick. He didn’t want him to judge him, which was silly because he knew Patrick was one of the least judgmental people he’d ever met. There was just something different about him, about them. It felt like their friendship and partnership was a glass teetering on the edge of a shelf. A perfect little bubble that could pop at any moment. He really cared about Patrick, and his opinion of him, and he didn’t want his pity EVER. They were equals.

As David showered his mind wandered to Patrick in that thin tank top and his hand wandered down to his hardening dick. He remembered the musky smell of Patrick as he touched himself and quietly jerked off, imagining touching and tasting and possessing. He braced himself against the cold mildew stained shower tiles and came to the thought of Patrick with his legs spread on that desk, picturing himself kneeling between them, with far less clothing involved. Afterwards as he cleaned up he felt pathetic for getting himself worked up over this man who’d never be his to touch and taste, but he was tired and decided to unpack all those new feelings at a later date.

Laying in bed unable to fall asleep, despite having been exhausted all day, David couldn’t stop thinking about Patrick. He’d been the first person other than Stevie, to really care about him in Schitt’s Creek, or maybe ever. He’d cared enough to invest in David’s business and with that he’d invested in David as a person. He believed in him and wanted him to succeed more than his own parents even did. He’d also cared enough to delve deeper into him as a human being, that’s why he’d asked about his sweaters.

It was almost overwhelming, he still barely knew Patrick and he felt like Patrick knew so much about him. Where had this guy even come from? What had drawn him to Schitt’s Creek and drawn him to working with David? He’d looked online before and found no social media accounts under Patrick’s name. He didn’t know what his preferences were or if he was already in a relationship and just hadn’t felt the need to mention it. Patrick was a puzzle that David wanted to solve, but he was scared to push anything. He liked the way things were right now. His steady, calming presence grounded David in a way no one ever had before.

Just as his eyes were finally getting heavy, he felt his phone vibrate under his feather pillow.

Patrick 11:24 U never texted me if u made it homr safe should I start up the the search party?

David blinked his bleary eyes open and squinted at the bright screen, a smile creeping over his face as he read the typoed text.

David 11:24 At this point I think the most you’ll find is a body. Always knew I’d get murdered in this town.

•••

•••

Patrick 11:27 I hoped it wouldn’t’ come to this but I’m ready to step up and run Rose Apotheosis y on my own. I may change the name to Brewer Bodega. Has a nice ring to it I s assume you left everything in my name. U were a good partner David.: I promise to cry at the funeral. 

David 11:27 cant wait to see you in all black

•••

•••

•••

Patrick 11:29 You can see me in anythingg  
Patrick 11:29 I mean I wear black cloth  
Patrick 11:29 It’s just summer it’s jot  
Patrick 11:29 Urs hot  
Patrick 11:29 *its hot!

David 11:30 oh my god go to sleep Patrick we have to be around BEES so fucking early

David realized after a few minutes without a reply that Patrick must’ve actually fallen asleep, and he felt a twinge of disappointment. Their simple juvenile text exchange had made David feel better about being an asshole earlier. Even after he’d lashed out, Patrick still really cared. Enough to check up on him, to be thinking about _him_ at 11pm, no one else. A warmth spread in his chest and he couldn’t contain the smile on his face that made his cheeks burn. Fortunately Alexis was asleep already and couldn’t pester him about it. He was happy.

David 11:38 Goodnight, Patrick. Sweet dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fic ever so feedback is definitely welcome! I’m 24 and have been reading fanfic for a decade, finally found a ship worth writing about. What would you like to see in future chapters btw? Thank you so much if you’ve read to this point, I’ve been writing and rewriting this for way too long and procrastinated posting. <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter covers all of episode 3.13. I’ve always been curious what Patrick was thinking about in the bathroom at the restaurant, and afterwards when he couldn’t sleep, so I decided to write it. Enjoy <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will cover 4.1 and get a little steamy so be prepared ;)

Patrick was spritzing vegetables on a sunny June day, as he overheard David’s cynical comments to a patron. Certainly not the best business practice when they were working on building up a customer base, but there seemed to be something bothering David, so he decided to let that slide.

“Everything okay?” he asked cautiously.

“Yeah it’s fine,” David assured him, though it didn’t sound believable to either of them.

“Alright.” He knew David would tell him eventually what was wrong, and just moments later he was proven right.

“Here’s a question. Um has _your_ family ever forgotten your birthday. Like your parents and your sister. Collectively. As a whole?” David asked, thinking about just how pathetic it was. It wasn’t like his family had that crazy of a schedule nowadays. They lived in Schitt’s Creek. It must have taken a serious effort to find literally anything else to focus on than their only son. Who they lived with. And saw everyday. David must really be their _last_ priority. Bottom of the barrel.

“That would be a no,” Patrick replied confidently. “No, we’ve always had some kind of party.” He started thinking back on the fond memories of pizza parties and bowling high with his buddies. Of summertime pool parties with his cousins and the time they saw a bear on a camping trip.

“Oh.” Must be nice, David thought.

“In fact sometimes two parties. One before school ended with my friends and then another with family with my cousins who were kinda more like siblings…” Patrick trailed off as he saw the pained expression on David’s face, quickly realizing that he hadn’t been speaking figuratively, and that he was now majorly rubbing it in. “Uh but they they forgot… other things,” Patrick added, even though he couldn’t think of any instance in which they had. His parents were pretty damn nice. They had their faults sure, but they’d always put Patrick first in their lives. He knew very well that David’s family was nothing like that, so he felt guilty for bragging.

“Yeah I’m sure, yeah .” David knew he was trying to make him feel better, but it had the opposite effect. He turned his attention back to unpacking a box of merchandise, feeling a pit of numbness and loneliness and heartache forming inside of him. 

“I’m kinda piecing together that it might be your birthday.”

“Yes it is,” David confirmed with a shrugging nod.

“Well happy birthday!” Patrick exclaimed, his features brightening. “How old are we?” he asked playfully, before quickly changing the subject when he was greeted with a death glare. Ok, age is not a subject to bring up with David, he thought. Noted. “Uh do you have any plans, for today, or..”

“Ahh I plan on popping a pill, crying a bit, and falling asleep early. So just a regular weeknight.” 

“Well it sounds like fun.” Patrick’s nodded, his stomach doing a flip as he realized that it was now or never. This was his moment. David had no plans for his birthday other than feeling miserable. He deserved to have a good birthday and perhaps Patrick could be the one to give him that. 

“It is.”

“You ever tried the- the café tropical?” Patrick pointed out the window at the café across the street as he forced himself to ask the question. No more letting himself chicken out. He felt his face getting hot and he became too aware of his breathing. “I’ve heard people raving about how moderately edible the food is there.”

David tittered, “well, yes.” 

“We could uh, we could go for a birthday dinner?”

“You don’t have to do that,” David shook his head, feeling down on himself. He didn’t want Patrick to feel obligated to hang out with him tonight, just because he was too pitiful to have anything else going on. Obviously he loved spending time with Patrick, he was downright infatuated with him, he was just too depressed to be desirable company. 

Patrick’s heart sunk as David rejected his invitation and he started second guessing himself. Maybe David wasn’t interested in him at all. “No I-I’d like to,” he assured him, arms crossed nervously, letting him know that he really wanted this, wanted him. Nervously, he watched as David wrestled with the idea for a moment before finally agreeing.

“Sure.”

“Can we say 8 o’clock?” He said yes.

“Okay.”

“Okay.” He said yes. He said yes. Patrick distractedly spritzed the vegetables again for a while, getting embarrassed when he realizing what he was doing. He was simply too excited and nervous and overwhelmed to pay attention because. He. Said. Yes.

“Those are wet now.”

“That’s a lot of spritzing,” David noticed as well, pointing at the vegetables.

“I’m gonna dry those off.”

“Okay,” David said, his lips forming into a half smile as he watched Patrick walk away.

Patrick slinked off to the backroom to get a dry rag, trying to conceal just how ecstatic he was. He noticed as he walked past David, how strong his cologne was. It was intoxicating. Finally, finally he’d done it. He’d asked Davis Rose on a date. And he’d said yes. His heart was racing and his mind was going a million miles a minute. He wanted to get David a gift but he had no idea what to get him. His high-end taste was definitely way out of Patrick’s price range, so he would have to think outside the box. 

After he’d contained his glee and the redness in his cheeks had gone down, Patrick went to pat dry the vegetables, unable to make eye contact with David. He knew if he did he’d get a big dumb grin on his face, and didn’t want to seem overeager -especially when David had been a little reluctant in his agreement. 

The rest of the workday passed in a blur with Patrick brainstorming gift ideas and wondering what he was going to wear and what he was going to say and if he was going to find a way to kiss the lips he’d been thinking about for weeks. Every now and then between customers, he stole a glance at David and every time he found David was looking at him too. 

David was still distracted by the ordeal with his family, but he was grateful for Patrick’s invitation. Even if it was just a pity dinner, he knew Patrick had the best intentions. He was maybe the first genuinely good guy David had ever known, and he really knew how to make David feel better. He was saving him from another shitty self destructive day. Besides, he was actually excited to do something, anything, with friends on his birthday. The Rose family had a habit of ignoring holidays and events since their move to Schitt’s Creek. Now that the move had really solidified into a permanent thing, what with David’s store and his dad running the (semi successful?) motel, it was probably time to find new ways of experiencing his birthdays. Even if they no longer involved yachts and mystery drugs. And orgies.

Around 4:00 pm Patrick glanced at the clock and noticed they were about an hour out from closing time.

“You wanna close a little early today?” he suggested to David, “it’s your birthday after all.” Really Patrick just wanted time to head to Elmdale to get a frame for David’s gift. After a lot of thought he’d come up with a last minute, affordable, and not too over the top gift. He’d frame the receipt from their first sale. He had made a decision to save the receipt, not sure what to do with it, but knowing that he wanted to give it to David eventually. It was too symbolic not to keep, symbolic of the journey they’d been through together to get the store running, and the friendship they’d built. Though David tried to act like he was above things like human emotion, he was incredibly sentimental. Patrick hoped the gift would express just how much he, and their store meant to him. 

“Honestly, and as much as this _pains_ me to say, I think I’d like to _keep_ working. I could use the distraction. I’m not trying to deal with my family right now.” Alexis would be getting ready for her graduation and he knew it’d be a whole _thing_.

“C’mon David. We haven’t had a customer in over an hour, let’s just get out of here. You don’t _have_ to go home.”

“Are you kicking me out of my own store? If you’ve got something better to do than go ahead, Patrick but I’m staying.” Just as David said it, the door bell dinged. As if summoned, a customer walked in. David shot Patrick an ‘I told you so’ look and went to assist the customer.

Patrick didn’t want to leave David to work alone on his birthday so he stuck around through the last surge of customers. He covertly got on his phone and preordered a frame and gift bag for pickup from the craft shop in Elmdale, to save time. This time he made sure to get one that matched David’s taste a little better. Black and minimalist, like all those sweaters he insisted on wearing. Today he wore a black one with a white lightening bolt on it, even though it was JUNE. Patrick was still determined to unpack the sweater situation, but he hadn’t found the right time to dig deeper. He wondered if David would wear something different on their date tonight, since they’d only really spent time together in work related situations.

Later after they’d officially closed around 5:30, Patrick told David he’d see him soon, and quickly headed off. He had two and half hours to get to Elmdale and back, frame his gift, get ready, and be at the restaurant -all during rush hour. He carefully sped on open roads to make up for the slow traffic, and managed to make it to the shop and back in decent time. Not once had he seen a traffic cop anywhere near Schitt’s Creek, so he wasn’t too worried about getting a ticket.

Back at Ray’s, Patrick tried to decide whether it would be too much to change his outfit, or if David would think this was just a casual friend thing if he didn’t, or if he even had anything better to wear. His wardrobe was pretty one-note. He knew he was running out of time so he just threw on a clean shirt and a nice jacket. His body felt like it was vibrating on the short drive over to the café, and he kept glancing at the gift in the seat next time him. He had purchased a card on the way out the door but he hadn’t had time to fill it out, so he just left it at home. He wasn’t sure exactly what to write to David, because there was just too much to say with pen and paper.

As he was getting out of the car he realized suddenly that his outfit matched the gift bag and tissue paper. It was beyond corny, and he felt like an idiot. He stripped off his jacket and left it in the car. After taking a few steps toward the restaurant he changed his mind and went back to the car to put it back on. Commit, he thought. He knew he needed to be confident for this date to be a success. He knew David, everything was going to be okay.

Patrick looked around nervously as he entered Café Tropical, and noticed David wasn’t there yet. Glancing at the clock he realized that it was only 7:30. He had rushed so much that he’d actually been early. Deciding to just wait there, Patrick found a booth and sat down. He looked at the present in his hand and tried to decide where to put it. First he set it on the table, but that felt wrong, too look-at-me. He thought about putting it on the ground under the table, but he didn’t want it to get dirty. He moved it to the bench across from him so David would find it when he sat down, but that felt even more wrong. He didn’t know why he couldn’t just be normal. He hung out with David every damn day at work, this wasn’t some blind internet meetup, he needed to just be himself.

Twyla walked over and Patrick quickly moved the present to right beside him on his bench, embarrassed that he’d been seen acting so bizarre and unsure of himself. Maintaining his usual appearance of being steady and in control was important to him. Perhaps he shouldn’t even give David the gift? Maybe he’d think it was weird that he got him anything at all? Should he just take it back to the car? Commit, he reminded himself, and decided to go forward with the plan and stop second guessing everything. 

“Just you tonight?” Twyla asked.

“Uh, no actually, David will be meeting me here soon,” Patrick explained.

“Okay, I’ll bring you a couple menus then, “ Twyla told him with a wink. She’d clearly caught on that this was a date by his nervousness and how dressed up he was. His mouth felt dry and he started to get anxious, glancing repeatedly at his phone to check the time and make sure David hadn’t texted him to cancel. After the table had been set he read every word on the absurdly long menu, just so he had something to focus on. He straightened out the silverware and salt and fluffed the tissue paper in his gift. He stood at the water station and drank way too much water to occupy himself.

After what felt like hours he saw that it was finally 8 o’clock. David certainly didn’t have a reputation for being early, but after a few minutes passed Patrick started to worry. He considered sending a text to David to ask if they were still on for tonight, but decided to give it 30 minutes. Around 8:15 he heard the café door open and looked up to see David causally stroll in with a wave. Thank god, Patrick thought. He didn’t know what he would’ve done with another 15 minutes of doubt and anxiety.

“I almost didn’t see you there through the mad rush of the Friday night dinner crowd,” David said sarcastically, waving his hands in gesture to the mostly empty restaurant. Patrick noticed that he was wearing the same outfit from earlier, but he was confident in his own decision to change.

“I’m just so relieved that I made a reservation,” Patrick joked back, his demeanor smooth as silk.

“Yes, well you look very nice.”

“Ohh, thanks. Well, you know I- I assumed that the café would have a dinner jacket policy, and I didn’t want to wear one of theirs.” 

“Mmhm,” David nodded, noting that Patrick looked really handsome in his jacket, even if it likely came from Kohl’s. He thought about how fun it would be to dress Patrick up sometime, and wondered if he should’ve changed his clothes too. After work he’d felt too depressed to do anything but nap, and Stevie was probably not going to come dressed up either. He wasn’t sure Stevie owned anything not made of flannel or denim. “Um well the amazing thing about this place is that they’ve done such a wonderful job of, um, editing down their menu to a very concise.. _world-class_ selection of international cuisine.”

Patrick opened his giant menu and pretended he hadn’t spent half an hour analyzing it already. “Agreed, agreed. Dare we try the, uh, deep fried mozzarella stick platter?”

“Mmm. They do a lovely wine pairing with that, so..” 

Patrick beamed at David. He didn’t know why he’d been so worried. Now that he was here and they were joking around like usual, everything just felt right. 

“Sorry, I’m late,” a voice suddenly emerged beside them. Patrick looked up to see Stevie standing there. He flipped his menu closed in shock, feeling as though an elephant had just sat on his chest. “Is everybody here or are other people coming?” Stevie asked, pointedly making eye contact with Patrick.

“Uh, I don’t know. Uhh is anyone else coming?” Patrick asked David, trying to hide the hurt in his voice.

“No. This is, um, this is it. In case you didn’t know I’m _wildly_ popular. Some might even venture to call me beloved,” David answered, sensing a weird vibe from Patrick. 

“That’s a bit of a stretch,” Patrick teased, his voice barely about a whisper. He felt like he was going to start crying. “Welcome Stevie,” he added trying not to be rude. “I, I , I, I’m sorry if I’d known you were coming I would’ve have had them set, uh, three places. But uh…”

“Oh-“ Stevie looked a little wide eye and perplexed at David, who wasn’t sure what the big deal was.

“Did I not tell you?” he asked Patrick with a grimace, covering his mouth with his hand.

“But you know, uh, hey. The more the merrier,” Patrick added, trying to stay calm. “I’m gonna just, uh, hit the restroom real quick,” he babbled, scooting out of the booth to let Stevie in. “And I’ll- and then I’ll come back,” he finished weakly as he walked around the corner to the bathroom. His stomach felt like it was in his shoes. 

The bathroom was a single, so Patrick locked the door behind him and leaned back against it. His breathing was shallow and his hands a little shaky. He felt like such an idiot. All the preparation and nervousness to go on this date with David, and David wasn’t on this date with him. He wasn’t sure if David hadn’t realized that he was asking him out romantically, or if he _had_ known and had invited Stevie as a safety net, because he wasn’t into Patrick, but didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Either way Patrick was crushed.

He contemplated escaping through the bathroom window, but there were no windows in there, and also he’d have to see David the next morning at work so that was just a terrible idea all around. Instead he splashed some cold water on his face and calmed himself down, deciding that he was going to follow through. So what if Stevie was there, if that’s what David needed to have a good birthday, then so be it. He just wanted him to be happy, and he was still going to enjoy spending this extra time with him outside of work. 

Patrick also made use of the bathroom while he was there, because he _did_ drink a fuck ton of water.

Taking one final deep breath, Patrick walked back out to the table. He immediately noticed the present sitting atop the table, and he was filled with regret. This wasn’t even a date and he’d definitely gone overboard. “Oh I see you found my present.” He tried to remain _chill_ as he sat down, hoping that Stevie and David hadn’t been making fun of it the whole time he was collecting himself in the bathroom.

“Umm yeah, we just.. didn’t want anything to spill on it.” David realized that it sounded counterintuitive but not sure of what else to say. He was still trying to process Stevie’s confidence that it was actually a date, and he was starting to doubt his own assumptions that it wasn’t.

Great, Patrick thought, they must’ve been making fun of it then. “So you put it on the table..” he questioned, calling out the lie as he looked between Stevie and David.

David nodded. “Yeah.”

“Huh…” Everything was fine-totally fine-everything was going to be okay…

“Open it, David!” Stevie chimed in, making everything totally _not_ fine.

“Oh,_ no, no, no, no_, you can open it later, it’s really not a big deal. It’s not…” Patrick tried to take the present but Stevie and David refused. 

“Mmm,” David hummed as he pulled the gift bag toward himself across the table. “This is the first gift I haven’t bought _myself_ in a very long time. So, uh, thank you.”

Bought himself, Patrick thought. Maybe he should’ve actually bought him something, this was a stupid idea. “You’re gonna be so underwhelmed when you open it, trust me, it’s not- See? It’s nothing,” Patrick stammered and bowed his head, embarrassed as David pulled out the frame. 

Stevie leaned over the table to see. “What is it?” 

David held the framed receipt in his hands and knew exactly what it was. And he knew exactly what this was, a date. Stevie was right, they were on a date. All those unrequited and uncertain feelings he’d experienced, had actually been shared all along… Everything just clicked. 

“Oh, it’s the receipt, from our first sale at the store,” Patrick explained to Stevie, though it sounded even worse when he said it out loud. A receipt, he gave him a receipt. He’d splayed his heart out on that table, and he knew that David knew it too. Hell, it would be obvious to anyone. He looked him straight in the eyes and held his breathe as he waited for his response.

“Um, this is not nothing,” David assured him softly. The discomfort on Patrick’s face was clear, and he realized what a colossal fuck up it was to invite Stevie. “So thank you.” 

Just in time, to break up the tension, Twyla walked over with the platter of greasy, misshapen mozzarella sticks, offering them complimentary for David’s birthday. Fortunately Stevie took this as an opportunity to leave the two to their date, grabbing a couple mozzarella sticks on her way out, not before pointing to Patrick behind his back and giving a thumbs up to David. Her way of telling him, go for it dude, this is real. She’d been pestering David about Patrick liking him for weeks and knew that he had feelings for Patrick too, so she was fully onboard with them finally breaking the sexual tension.

After Patrick let Stevie out of the booth, he sat back down and leaned forward with his hands folded on the table. Maybe this wasn’t such a disaster after all... Maybe David had finally caught on, and he was on this date too. “Um, this is a very solid frame,” David told him with a knowing look and a smile. 

“Thank you, I’m learning.” They sat with the energy for a moment, both realizing that this was officially the start of their first date. “Shall, we?” Patrick asked, picking up a mozzarella stick.

“Mmm,” David replied as they toasted with their finger food.

Patrick loosened up as the night went on. They shared some wine, and ordered light entrees, because the mozzarella sticks felt pretty heavy. Patrick was driving so he made sure to not drink too much. He and David joked around about the food and the store. They shared their favorite music and movies with each other and talked about how David had spent his 19th birthday partying with Jennifer Love Hewitt and her friends. Patrick shared a story about his 7th birthday when his parents rented a pony for his birthday party and he’d peed his pants in terror. David made fun of Patrick for being afraid of horses, which he vehemently denied he was, promising to take him horseback riding one day as proof. Patrick told him that he’d always wanted a surprise party. They ate pastries, in the absence of birthday cake, and were just happy.

They’d spent a lot of time chatting over the last couple months, but never with such openness and abandon, at least on Patrick’s part. They were here to enjoy each other’s presence and to get to know each other, not just keep busy at work. 

Patrick couldn’t stop staring at David’s mouth as he talked, and David noticed. He thought back on all the electric moments they’d shared, and wondered what would’ve happened if they’d just gone for it already. What if the light hadn’t flickered during their long hug on opening night? What if he’d agreed to stay over at Patrick’s during the lice epidemic? How much time had they wasted not touching each other when they clearly both craved to? How many times had Patrick thought about him at work, or in his bed? He was buzzing with excitement at all the potential. At one point Patrick had his hand resting on the table and David intentionally brushed his fingers over it, watching the way Patrick’s eyes widened and speech faltered. This was happening. He got fucking goosebumps.

Neither was ready to make a move in the restaurant, not with an audience. When they’d spent almost two hours there just getting drunk on each other, and they’d long finished their meal, they decided it was time to go. They paid for their meal and walked out to the car. 

Patrick had insisted on giving David a ride home. “I don’t have the energy to form a search party tonight, so I’m going to make the responsible choice and escort you home.”

“How chivalrous,” David laughed, raising his eyebrows as Patrick held his door open for him. “Patrick Brewer, a true gentleman. How charmingly antiquated,” he teased, then gasped as Patrick closed the door in his face, looking at him deadpan. “Okay I take it back? You’re a downright scoundrel?” David shook his head, with his hand on his hip.

“_Scoundrel_? Really?” Patrick mocked as he stepped a little closer to David. Everything in his body was screaming for him. He wanted to wrap his arms around him, to press their lips together and feel the weight of all their pining coming to fruition. But he couldn’t do it. He’d never kissed a man before, but more importantly, he’d never kissed David before. He felt it had to be perfect and the pressure and nerves were just too high. “I guess that works. I _have_ got a reputation to uphold,” he said seriously, reopening the door and letting him in. 

He went around to the driver’s side and got in, feeling beyond nervous. Something told him that if he didn’t make a move tonight, then he’d miss his shot. They’d end up pretending nothing had happened between them and go back to being just business partners. The short drive was silent, both uncertain of what to say, but aware of the intense energy in the car. David put his hand on the center console, as an invitation, and Patrick slowly placed his hand right beside it, his pinky gently hooking around David’s. Neither of them dared look at their almost hand-hold, instead keeping their gaze out the windows, each wearing a smile.

The drive wasn’t nearly long enough for Patrick’s liking. When they pulled up to the motel he moved his hand from David’s and put the car into park, his heart beginning to race. Do it. Say something, he thought, but no words came out. 

“Well that was, a FUN _night_,” David said before Patrick had his chance.

Patrick’s smile grew and he replied, “I’m really glad I decided to invest in your business, David.” He didn’t mean to talk about work but it was all he could muster up to confess to David just how much he meant to him. 

“That is a really _lovely_ thing to say.”

“And I’m so glad you did Patrick, because you’ve really helped to turn it into the success that it is.” Humor was his go to when he was uncomfortable or nervous.

“Hmm. A _bold_ claim.”

David nodded until he noticed Patrick’s eyes dart toward his mouth again. He inched forward and saw Patrick do the same. Without anymore hesitation they both leaned in and kissed each other, David’s hand coming up to grip the back of Patrick’s neck and pull him closer. Everything about it felt natural, and he didn’t understand why they hadn’t been doing this from the start.

The feel of David’s lip was so much better than Patrick had imagined. The smell of his cologne and the feel of his stubble overwhelmed his senses. It was a new feeling, but it felt so right. The kiss was sweet and chaste but as soon as they pulled apart, Patrick wanted to grab him and pull him back and stick his down his throat. He didn’t think David would be on board with making out in front of the motel however, and he didn’t want to push himself too hard. This was all a lot to process. They way he’d felt during that kiss told him a lot about himself. He just couldn’t believe it had finally happened and that David wanted him as much as he wanted David. The wait had been worth it because right now, everything felt beyond perfect.

They sat there in silence for a moment before Patrick found his voice. “Thank you,” he told David sincerely.

“For what?” David asked, shaking his head.

“Um, I’ve never done that before. With a guy,” Patrick explained, not sure why it was so hard to tell him.

“Okay?” David questioned, getting worried. Had he somehow totally misread the signs, and Patrick was straight after all? Had this just been an experiment and now he’d proved that he wasn’t interested in guys after all? Before his worried thoughts could take over, Patrick continued.

“Yeah, and uh,” he chuckled, “I was getting a little scared that I was gonna let you leave here without us having done that, so , uh.. thank you. For, um… making that happen for us.” Patrick felt so awkward trying to explain it to David without showing all his cards. He didn’t want him to know just how much he’d longed for this, how many times he’d pictured this very moment. He wanted to be cool about it.

David didn’t know what to say for a moment. He felt so warm and giddy and he just wanted to kiss him again. But now that he knew it was Patrick’s first time, he figured he should ease into it, just incase he changed his mind. “Well, um… fortunately I am a very…_ generous_ person. So…”

“Can we talk tomorrow?” Patrick asked, beaming at David. 

David nodded. “Hmm. We can talk whenever you’d like. Just preferably, not before.. 10 am. Um, cause I’m not really a morning person,” he explained as he got unbuckled.

“Mmhmm.” Patrick knew this already of course. He had a desire to see what David looked like in the early morning, with messy bedhead and the sun shining through the curtains into Patrick’s room, as they lied together in bed. “Goodnight, David,” he told him as he watched him grab his gift and get out of the car.

David leaned in through the window and told him, “Goodnight, Patrick,” before leaving and going into the motel, smiling to himself.

Patrick stayed in the driveway for a minute, thinking about what had just happened and just grinning, before he realized that David could be watching him look like an fool from the window. He started the car and drove himself home, turning on some music to distract himself from the bullet train of thoughts going through his head. 

When he got home he saw that Ray was out and he was grateful. Ray was a nice enough guy but Patrick wanted privacy right now and talking was the last thing on his mind. He went inside and quickly made him way to his bedroom, closing the door behind him. He stripped off his jacket and undid his belt, stepping out of his jeans. He’d already started to get hard before he’d gotten out of the car, just thinking about David and all the things they could do together. All the possibilities that were now open.

He climbed into his bed and dipped his hand into his briefs, palming his quickly hardening dick, before stopping for a moment to reach down and grab his phone off the floor by his pants. He opened safari on his phone and typed in “David Rose”. This wasn’t the first time he’d done this, but it was the first time he didn’t feel extremely creepy and guilty doing it. There were countless photos of him online from his past in the spotlight, but he always found the most recent pictures that looked like _his_ David. 

He pulled his underwear down enough to pull out his dick and began to stroke it hard and fast. He was so turned on, remembering the feel of David’s lips and stubble and the smell of him, and the heat in his eyes when he’d leaned in to kiss him. He imagined David’s hand jerking him off, and his pretty little mouth wrapped his cock. He imagined David’s hand gripping the back of his neck again as Patrick fucked him into the mattress. He came quickly, dropping the phone on the bed and closing his eyes, waves of release rushing over him. It felt like a hot white light burning inside him. 

As he came down from his orgasm, his ears stopped ringing and his breathing calmed, he found himself just laughing at nothing. David Rose had kissed him. He wiped his hand on his underwear and took them off, wiping the remaining cum off of himself, before throwing the dirty underwear into his laundry basket nearby. He didn’t think he’d be able to sleep tonight, his mind stuck on how he would get to see David again in less than 12 hours.

Patrick got out of bed and threw on some pajama pants, taking off his button up shirt as well. He decided he had to do some research. He’d never been really into watching porn. He found it mostly dehumanizing and kinda gross and dubiously consensual, but he was realizing that he’d be at a loss in bed with David. He’d had plenty of (pretty vanilla) sex with Rachel, and encounters with a handful of other girls that he met on tinder or at a bar. He figured David was _very_ experienced in this department, based on his stories, so he didn’t want to be embarrassed if they ever made it to that point. 

He’d looked up gay porn before while he was still with Rachel. He’d made sure that his phone was on private mode, because he didn’t understand enough about himself to have any kind of explanation to her, as to why he was looking it up. Just looking at the thumbnails of the videos had been overwhelming for him though, and he’d quickly exited out of the page. 

Now that he’d kissed a man, he realized that that was the only type of kissing he wanted to do for the rest of life. It felt so different than all his past kisses. He’d thought that “feeling fireworks” was just a movie thing, but he’d really felt that with David. So he was pretty damn sure he was gay. Not bi, or questioning. Just gay. He felt like an chump for not realizing 10, 15 years ago. Now that he _knew_ he was gay, sex with a man was definitely going to happen at some point. It wasn’t just an abstract thought, it was something to prepare for, and a lot to take in.

Patrick put some headphones on incase Ray came home, and got to work. He started off slow by watching videos of men just jerking each other off, and it was nothing shocking. They were just dicks, no big deal, he had a dick, and he’d touched far grosser things. Next he moved on to blow job videos. He’d received plenty of blow jobs in his life, but he’d never given much thought to giving one. The thought of doing that to David was suddenly on his mind now. He was pretty sure he’d be good at it -with practice. After all he knew what felt good to him and he wasn’t squeamish. David was always so clean and smelled delicious, so he certainly had no reservations about tasting every part of him. 

After getting comfortable with the idea, he moved on to the more hardcore stuff, which was where it got a little overwhelming. Patrick had done anal with Rachel just once. It had mostly been an last ditch attempt to revitalize their love life, to no avail. It had been somewhat uncomfortable and awkward for both, even with a ton of lube. Watching the videos and seeing guys just ram their cocks into each other with practically no preparation, was terrifying. Patrick hadn’t imagined himself getting fucked. He always imagined himself _doing_ the fucking. He realized now that David might want to try that with him at some point or even do that exclusively, and he felt panicked by the idea.

Though Patrick was a smart guy and he knew that sex in porn was all performative and unrealistic, it was freaking him out. So he moved on. He started reading articles all about cisgendered gay sex and what to do and not to do. He got in so deep that he eventually fell asleep without having even brushed his teeth. His phone sat open on his chest, zoomed in on a diagram of a finger touching a prostate.

A while later Ray came home and opened Patrick’s door to say hi and tell him he was home, only to see what was displayed on Patrick’s phone screen. He carefully closed the door and walked off with a smirk on his face. Patrick wasn’t as quiet in the showers as he thought. Ray made have heard a few “_David_”’s through the walls.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They never showed where David ended up on the night of episode 4.1, so I thought I’d fill in the blanks ;)

When Patrick woke up in the morning, his phone was dead so he wasn’t sure what time it was, but it was still dark outside. He got up to plug it in and use the bathroom, quickly remembering the events of last night. It took him a moment of realize that it hadn’t been a dream. David Rose had kissed him, and they were going to _talk_ about it today. 

Even though he felt like he’d only slept two hours, his mind was racing and he was filled with too much nervous energy to go back to sleep. He decided to just get up and make some coffee, even though he was usually a tea person. He needed the extra caffeine today. As he sat at the kitchen table, his head spinning from the mix of coffee and fatigue, he noticed that the oven clock read 5:12am. While he usually woke up pretty early, this was just ridiculous. Three and a half hours until he would see David again.

Patrick took a long shower, sitting down in the bathtub because he was still feeling dizzy and he didn’t want to fall and bust his head. The hot water was soothing, and he had to try hard not to fall back asleep in the shower. 

After getting dressed and splashing on a little cologne, he decided that he didn’t want to talk with Ray before work, so he headed out early. There was too much on his mind for menial small talk, and he didn’t want Ray to ask him about his night. He wasn’t positive yet if David would want to keep this going, to start a relationship. They needed to have talk about it today to figure out where they stood. But god, he hoped David wanted this as much as he did.

Getting to work around 6:30am left Patrick with a lot of time think about what he was going to say to David. He’d been too nervous to really make any moves last night, so he wanted to be the one to initiate something today -if David was still on board. He wanted to kiss him again, to taste his mouth and feel his body up against his. 

Patrick focused on getting work done at the store, to help the time pass quicker. Only a couple hours until he’d see David. He finished inventory, paper work, dusting, and a ton of stocking before it was time to open.

Finally around 9:00am David arrived at Rose Apothecary, wearing a grey leopard print sweatshirt and his usual white shades. 

“Hi,” David half whispered when he spotted Patrick.

“Hey.”

They nervously walked toward each other and giggled as David kissed Patrick’s cheek. This was so new for both of them, they were both just treading the water. 

“So, someone’s been busy.”

“Oh, yeah, yeah. I’ve been up since five. Could not sleep. Been thinking about… Stuff. You know last night.”

David nodded, before asking with a grimace, “regrets?”

“What? No, why would I have regrets?” 

“I don’t know, I think it’s a, just a habit to ask.”

“No, no, no, no. No regrets. No I feel good. I feel like a… weight’s been sorta lifted off my shoulders. It’s all very new, you know, and it’s a lot to process but…” Patrick had planned on saying something a little more eloquent, but that was all he could come up with in the moment.

“Well, here’s something fun. Um… what if I stayed at your place tonight?” 

“Huh.” The question threw Patrick off. He’d just explained that he was still processing this all, and now David wanted to hook up already. They hadn’t even made out yet, or held hands, or gone on more than one date. What if David was trying to fuck him tonight? He was not ready for all of that yet, he wasn’t even sure if David wanted to be together or if he was only interested in having sex with him. It was too much to handle, especially on no sleep. 

“It’s just that there’s some things happening at the motel, and I—”

“Yeah, uh, sorry, David, maybe I haven’t been clear. I’m gonna need to take this a lot slower than a sleepover tonight.”

“Oh, okay, no. Not like a “sleepover” sleepover,” David tried to explain. Obviously he’d love to sleep with Patrick, but he really wasn’t trying to push him. He remembered his own experiences coming into his sexuality as a teen, and he knew how overwhelming it all could be.

“I think it’s important that I be honest with you about how I’m feeling. Because I know you have a lot of experience in this area, but, but for me—“

“Oh my god, no. I mean, yes, I do. But that’s not what I’m implying. That’s…”

Of course at exactly the wrong time, Moira walked through the door, interrupting their conversation before David could clarify his intent.

Patrick told David that they’d talk about it later and found an excuse to leave the store, going to get tea for Moira and himself. He felt sick, like he was about to go out on stage and perform in front of an audience. He tried to rationalize it in his head, maybe he was being too prudish? Maybe he should be more open to this new experience and just dive in head first? Maybe David wasn’t trying to go all in tonight, just hit a couple new bases? It just felt too fast. He knew he wanted to be sexual with David, and soon. But he’d just kissed a man for the first time less than 12 hours ago and he need to work up to the other stuff. Or at least talk about how they were feeling, and what they wanted from this relationship. If he just wanted to be friends with benefits like he’d been with Stevie, that wouldn’t work for Patrick. He was falling for David.

After getting the teas and coffee and a scone for Moira, he walked back to the store. David and Moira seemed to be having an intense conversation, so he delivered the drinks and walked into the backroom to give them space. Of course, he heard every word of their conversation, and it made sense of a lot of things. So _that_ was why David wanted to stay over. Their was a dead guy at the motel. Patrick felt like a fool for assuming that David just wanted to fuck him. Maybe David wasn’t interested in him like that at all, and he’d just completely embarrassed himself for no reason. Hearing the two panicking over their situation, he had to step in.

“Can I interject?” he asked, walking back out to the store front. “I know I wasn’t supposed to be listening to this conversation, but it’s a small space and your voice carries so beautifully. Mrs. Rose, I can say with 100% certainty you have nothing to worry about.”

“Well that’s very kind of you, dear, but now’s not the time for well-intended placation.”

“You’re legally prohibited from supplying medication to your guests. So by not giving him anything you’ve actually avoided any potential liability in his death.”

“Well there we have it, then. Thank god you’re here, Pa…”

“…trick,” David finished for his mom.

“…trick. You know how David can get carried away, I’m sure.”

“Ohh I do.”

“Well, I suppose I’ll head back to the _scene of the crime_, with which I had nothing to do,” Moira announced, stealing a bottle of face cream on her way out, despite their objections. “Alexis was right, he’s a button,” she told David as she left the store. 

Patrick sipped his drink, trying to hide his awkwardness. So David had told his mom about him. Guess that cat was out of the bag. Or closet. That did mean that David thought their kiss was important enough to share with his family, which made Patrick happy. They both were a little on edge for a while, just focusing on work and not talking about what had just happened. Obviously there had been some miscommunication on both sides, and neither was sure how to break the ice now and discuss it.

After dealing with a few customers, they was a stretch of quiet, and the tension was too much to bare. Finally Patrick went to stand beside David, and broke the silence. “So, you told your mom about us, huh?”

“No, I told _Alexis_ about us, and_ she _ likely told my mom.”

“Ah… Okay, listen, David—“

“No, YOU listen,“ David interrupted, getting up in Patrick’s face, much to his surprise. “Sorry, that came off way harsher than I wanted it to. Uh, I know how this looks, especially considering that you just told me you wanted to take things slow. But me wanting to stay at your place… It was more about what was happening at th—“

“Yeah I.. I know that now.”

“Okay.”

“And I’m sorry for assuming that you just wanted to stay at my house to.. to sleep with me, or whatever,” Patrick apologized, feeling uncomfortable and unable to make eye contact. He felt bad that he’d assumed the worst of David, and he didn’t want him believing that he thought he was just a piece a shit. 

“No, um, it was purely circumstantial, you know. Because of the dead body at th…” Of course David had _thought_ about connecting physically with Patrick tonight, but that hadn’t been the expectation or intent when he asked. Just a little extra bonus if it happened to occur -on Patrick’s terms.

“Right.” Patrick smiled, feeling both embarrassed and relieved that they’d worked it all out. He realized that this was as good a time as any to talk with David about how he felt. “You know, when you kissed me… That, that felt like my first time. All the things that you’re uh, supposed to feel, I, I felt them last night.” 

That was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to David, and it made his heart melt. “Well, if we’re being honest with each other… This is sort of like my first time, too.”

Patrick looked at him, shocked, not understanding what he could mean by that.

“I mean it’s not, I’ve kissed like a thousand people, but…”

Patrick felt a flare up of jealousy at that statement. He didn’t want David to kiss anyone but him every again. He knew that was unreasonable as they weren’t even together yet, but still.

“…nobody that I… cared about or… respected or… thought was nice,” David explained. Every other relationship he’d been in had been incredible toxic, or he’d just been used for sex, or money. There wasn’t a lot there to base a healthy relationship on, so he knew he’d have to follow Patrick’s lead on what was right. “So in a way, it’s like we’re both starting something new.”

“Thank you, David.” Hearing him speak so openly and be so vulnerable, really showed Patrick that he cared. They were in the same boat, and they both wanted to do this right. He couldn’t have asked for anything more, and his heart felt so full. “And, hey, for the record. I, I also respect _you_ and think that _you’re_ a good person.” 

“Hmm. It’s just I said ‘nice person’.”

“I know,” Patrick half whispered, overwhelmed with the urge to kiss him. It was amazing that he could actually just do that now, there was nothing holding him back. No more doubt and worry, just exploration.

“Oh,” David mumbled as Patrick leaned in and wrapped his arms around David’s waist, pulling him flush with his body and kissing him. It was still closed mouth and chaste, but it turned him on so much. “I just need you to say, “nice person.” 

“You’re a _good_ person,” Patrick teased.

“That’s not nice.” 

Patrick pulled him back in for another kiss, deeper this time, wanting to show David just how attracted he was to him, even if he wasn’t ready to have his dick inside any part of his body. He parted his mouth slightly and David did the same, following his lead. David’s arms draped over his shoulders, and their bodies pressed firmer together, as Patrick’s tongue lightly grazed his bottom lip. “Mmm,” David let out, opening his mouth a little further to let Patricks tongue gently inside. They only kissed for a minute before they both decided to break it off, with another sweet chaste kiss. They were taking it slow, and getting each other hard at work was not very slow. 

Patrick bit his lip, still tasting David on his tongue. He tasted like the mints he’d eaten after drinking his coffee, and like something else too. Something purely David. He was hungry for more, but making out at work was not the best practice, especially with all those windows putting them on display.

“You know,” Patrick told him as he stepped back and let one of his hands fall from David’s waist, David’s arms sliding down from around his neck. “If you really don’t want to stay at the motel tonight, you’re welcome to stay at my place. There’s a pullout couch in the living room and I don’t know, maybe we could watch some movies. If, if you’re cool with that?” 

“Oh my god, Patrick you’re a fucking lifesaver. I mean, yes, I’m cool with all of… that. No funny business, I promise.” David put his hand over his heart. Patrick chuckled and bowed his head. Well, maybe a little funny business, he thought, but he didn’t tell David that. He didn’t want him getting ideas. Patrick wanted to go slow, but not glacial. It wasn’t like he was a virgin. Or mormon. He just needed things to be on his terms, without any pressure of expectations.

“My other alternative was _camping_. On the _floor_. In my _parents’_ room. The only time I’ve ever_ camped_ was at Coachella and that was more of a _yurt_ and king sized air mattress situation.”

“David, you _do_ know I’m gonna have to take you on a camping trip now?” Patrick was only half joking, he loved camping. When he was a kid his family would go on a few trips to the lake every summer. David wasn’t the outdoorsy type, but it would be nice to share something he loved with him.

“Mmm.. no, I don’t, uh-“ David was interrupted by the door bell as a customer walked in. Patrick let go of David’s waist and give him a nod to say ‘yes, this is happening’ before going to help the customer.

Throughout the rest of the workday the two stole sweet kisses now and then. They joked about the plans for their theoretical camping trip, and argued about which movies they’d watch tonight. David was leaning toward early 2000’s rom coms and Patrick was more of a horror/thriller movie kinda guy. Either way they were both excited for their date. David was hoping to just get some cuddles out of it, as he’d been depraved of affection and human touch for basically forever. Patrick however, was hoping for a hardcore make out session. Maybe more, who knows?

After they’d closed up for the night and got some food from the café, Patrick drove David over to the motel to gather some overnight things while he waited in the car for him. 

As David was packing, Alexis explained that Ted’s apartment hadn’t planned out and asked him where he was going. 

“Uh, none of your business.”

“C’mon, David take me with you,” she whined, “I don’t want to hear dad’s snoring all night _ugh_ I hate you.”

“Have fun with that,” David snapped, unapologetically. He inadvertently glanced toward the window where Patrick was waiting outside, and Alexis noticed. She shot him a look, then ran over to the window to peek through the curtains. 

“Oh my _god_, David you’re staying at _Patrick’s_? Didn’t you like, just kiss him or…”

“It’s not like that, okay. Patrick is… different. It’s called taking it “slow”,” David explained with air quotes. “Not like you’d know anything about that.” He was being a hypocrite and he knew it, but pushing Alexis’ buttons was easier than having a serious chat with her about his relationship status. 

“Ew shut up, David, you’re like a total slut. Don’t scare him back into the closet, mkay?”

“You’re just jealous because you have to sweep with mommy and daddy,” David sassed using a baby voice as he threw his overnight bag over his shoulder and opened the door. “Byyye.” Ignoring Alexis’ foot stomping and outcries, he walked back to the car and got in. 

“So I take it you told Alexis?” Patrick asked, blushing at the thought of what everyone would probably think they were doing. He hadn’t just come out of the closet, he’d fucking leapt. It was okay though, it felt right. There was no reason to hide who he was when he’d already wasted so much time hiding it from himself.

“Yeah, and I told her she could come too, we’re gonna do face masks and have a pillow fight.”

“I know you’re joking, David, but can we be, uh, serious for a moment?”

David raised his eyebrows and looked Patrick in the eyes, listening intently. He was ready for him to say that he’d changed his mind and didn’t want David to stay over after all.

“I uh… I would absolutely _crush_ you in a pillow fight.”

David laughed loudly, in surprise, causing Patrick to start laughing too. 

“Guess we’ll have to see.”

“Guess we will.”

They laughed and joked with each other the entire way to Ray’s, both feeling warm and giddy, excited for where the night might take them. David hadn’t really thought about how Ray would probably be there, since it _was_ his house, because he’d been too focused on Patrick. So when they walked through the door and Ray was sitting on the couch, David was taken aback. 

“Hello, boys,” Ray exclaimed, standing up and dusting popcorn crumbs off his clothes. “I hear we are having a movie night, so I took the liberty of popping us some popping corn.” 

Patrick had sent him a text to let him know he’d have company over and that they were hoping to use the TV, but he’d assumed Ray would take that as an invitation to stay upstairs, not join in. 

“Hi, Ray. Umm, well actually… the movies we’re watching are actually… downloaded on my laptop, sooo we’ll probably just watch in, you know, Patrick’s room.” David hadn’t actually brought his laptop, but he knew Patrick had one. He looked to Patrick as they kicked off their shoes, hoping he’d play along.

“Uh, yeah, yes, right. They’re not on Netflix so… But uh, thank you… for… making all this popcorn!” There were five (FIVE!) large bowls of it on the coffee table. Patrick walked over and picked up one. “We’ll just take this, uh, upstairs.” 

“Right, right. Don’t let me get in your way,” Ray waved them off. “Have _fun_ you two,” he called after them, making both men cringe and blush. If they were ever going to fuck, they were gonna have to find another location to do so. The walls were much too thin, and according to Ray, putting a lock on his door was in breach of his lease agreement.

“Yikes,” David whispered after they’d made it to Patrick’s room.

“He means well, he just…” Patrick trailed off. There were no words to describe Ray. He leaned against the wall and watched as David set his bag on a chair and went through it. He was acutely aware of the cum stained underwear sitting at the top of his laundry basked, inches away from David. And he knew that David saw them too by the way he froze and his neck sort of sunk into his shoulders. Oh fuck, he thought. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

David bit his tongue and tried to pretend that he hadn’t noticed them, and that he wasn’t super turned on. It was pretty clear that Patrick had jerked off after their kiss, and he’d definitely done so thinking of David. He grabbed his comfy clothes out of his bag and turned around to see Patrick staring at he feet, his face beet red.

“So uh—“

“Don’t David,” Patrick cut him off. 

“I was just gonna—“

“Not a word David.”

“I was just gonna ask where the bathroom was? To change?” David rushed to say before Patrick could cut him off again. “I’ll just… I’ll just go find it.” He dipped out the room quickly, before a little giggle could escape his lips. Poor Patrick, he thought, though it was absolutely hilarious to him. He knew he’d probably be mortified too if someone caught him like that.

In the bathroom David changed out of his snake print jeans into some overpriced sweatpants and stripped off his sweatshirt and undershirt, to change into a black tee. He opened the bathroom door, then stopped to put his sweatshirt back on. A part of him was still afraid that Patrick would see his scars, and feel differently about him. Even if Patrick didn’t jump ship, he’d still have to explain his past, and the relationship was just way too new to throw that wrench in it. 

Meanwhile, Patrick hid the offending underwear under last night’s pajamas that he’d left on the floor. He couldn’t think of the last time he’d been that embarrassed. Fortunately he’d never been walked in on as a teen, and he’d done his own laundry, so he never worried about his parents encountering anything crusty. He glanced around the room to make sure there was nothing else in sight that could humiliate him. He hadn’t had company at Ray’s before and he certainly hadn’t been expecting company tonight. He changed his own pants quickly while David was out of the room, though he was hardly concerned with being seen pantless, after what had just occurred.

When David walked back in the room Patrick noticed that he’d changed his pants and shirt, but kept his sweatshirt on, which was weird. It was a very balmy night and Ray was stingy with the A/C (claimed it was only cost effective in July and August), so they just had a box fan in the window. Patrick was still in his button up, so he took it off slowly, making eye contact with David. He needed to override David’s thoughts with something other than his used chonies. He wasn’t wearing an undershirt today, so he was now standing in just his pajama pants. 

“_Hello_.” David’s eyes were wide and his mouth agape. He knew that Patrick worked out, but he hadn’t expected him to be so toned. And hairy. His eyes followed the trail of hair from his belly button down, to where it disappeared in his pants, before snapping back up to Patrick’s face. 

Patrick smirked a little and went to put on a light blue T-shirt. “Oh yeah? You like what you see?” he laughed.

“Not as much as you liked all of this _last night_,” David teased, gesturing to himself.

Patrick went red again, and could feel his heartbeat pulsing in his neck. “Shut. Up. David.”

David felt bad for teasing, but he couldn’t help it. “Oh you think you’re special? You think I haven’t thought of you…” 

The idea of David masturbating to the thought of him made his dick twitch in his pants. He turned quickly to get his laptop off of his desk and went to sit on the bed, putting a pillow between his back and the metal frame. He had no words. He opened the laptop and started looking for a movie, avoiding looking at David.

David went and sat beside him, deciding to ease up a bit. After all, he’d promised no funny business, so he needed to be a perfectly respectable gentleman. He scooted close and kissed Patrick on the cheek. “Thank you. For uh, for letting me stay here. Can you even imagine me in a sleeping bag on that piss and vomit soaked carpet?” He shuddered at the thought.

“Yes, cause this is definitely more your style.” Patrick waved to the room that appeared to have been decorated by someone’s long passed grandma. 

“It’s… quaint?”

“It’s temporary.”

“How exactly did you end up living with Ray?”

Patrick explained how he’d found an ad online seeking a roommate/employee with a business degree, and it just fit. He’d been wanting to move from his hometown for a while so he jumped on the opportunity, and ended up in Schitt’s Creek. He was fortunate that Ray had liked him enough to let him keep renting from him, even after he quit working for him to help run the store.

After some debate on what to watch, David decided to let Patrick choose first, since he’d been nice enough to let him stay over. It was a one time thing though, David wasn’t big on horror movies and he didn’t like to compromise in that department. Patrick chose something called ‘The Babadook’ which sounded hilarious but turned out to be really fucking scary. Patrick set the laptop on his lap and David rested his head on Patrick’s shoulder as they watched.

When the film began to get truly terrifying, Patrick wrapped his arms around David and cuddled him into his chest. Getting to hold him in his arms made him feel so content and happy, he never wanted to let go. 

“Here.” Patrick moved the laptop across David, to the bedside table, then he turned to lay on his side. David got the memo and scooted down so he was laying with his head on the pillow and Patrick was almost spooning him, propped up on his elbow so he could see passed David to watch the movie. They kept a tiny bit of space between them for now, but they were so close they could feel each other’s warmth along their whole bodies. 

Patrick ran his fingers through David’s hair, intentionally messing it up like he’d longed to do for so long. It felt thick and healthy and clean. He twirled strands between his fingers, feeing so lucky that he was allowed to just do this now. He didn’t want to take anything for granted. 

David got really scared during one scene and turned to bury his head in Patrick’s chest. He wasn’t embarrassed that he got spooked during horror films, it just wasn’t his thing. He liked happy endings and melodrama, not eeriness and terror. He felt Patrick gently rubbing his back to comfort him, and he melted into him. 

Patrick kissed the top of David’s head a couple times, realizing that he needed more than cuddling. He slid down until he was level with David, sharing a pillow. They looked each other in the eyes and David caressed his cheek, his face filled with desire. Patrick knew at that moment, that he was in deep. 

Their lips crushed together with a passion they hadn’t been able to express in any of their previous embraces. They had their tongues in each other’s mouths and their hands were grabbing at hair and clothes, they were hungry for each other and just couldn’t get enough. David’s hand was on Patrick’s lower back under his shirt, feeling the muscular dimples in his back. 

Patrick’s knee made its way between David’s, leaving their hips flush, not moving, just pressed tightly against one another. Patrick could feel that they were both getting hard and it made him feel very excited. Knowing that nothing _had_ to come of this helped make the entire situation feel easy and safe. Maybe he did want something to happen, he wasn’t sure. Either way, he knew David would let him take it only as far as he was ready.

David was working hard to stay restrained and just follow Patrick’s lead, even though he wanted to do so much more. Every fantasy he’d had of Patrick was playing in his head, and he was doing his best to not just cum in his pants like a teenager. That because increasingly difficult when Patrick began to rock his hips into David. 

It felt fucking incredible. Every nerve in Patrick’s body felt like it was on fire. He’d never felt so aroused in his entire life, even when he actually fucking someone. He didn’t care if making out and grinding in his bed was immature in the grand spectrum of sexual experiences, it was the best thing he’d ever felt. He knew he wasn’t ready to go _much_ further yet, but he did have some ideas. He grabbed David’s hand suddenly and David froze. 

“Is this okay?” Patrick whispered as he pulled David’s hand from his hip and brought it between them.

“Yes,” David gasped against Patrick’s lips as he slid David’s hand into his pants and underwear. His hand immediately came into contact with Patrick’s fully hard dick. He palmed it for a moment, before wrapping his hand around it and began to stroke it gently, his soft hands gliding against the velvety skin.

Patrick groaned deeply and rocked into David’s hand. He’d pictured this every time he’d touched himself and it was finally happening. David started to stroke faster and harder and Patrick began to fall apart, his kissing getting sloppier and his hips jerking wildly. Without overthinking it he tugged down the front of David’s sweats and underwear, and grabbed his dick. It felt differently than his own, thicker and heavier, and it was incredible. He started to jerk David off too, though their hands were getting in the way of each other and it was a little awkward, a little dry too.

David tried to moan quietly and stay aware of where they were. He removed his hand from Patrick’s pants for a moment to spit in his hand. Slowly he pulled down the front of Patrick’s pants down so their cocks could touch without any barriers. “Okay?” David asked, and Patrick nodded. Patrick moved his hand out of the way as David wiped saliva on both of them, then grabbed both their cocks in his wet hand and rocked against Patrick.

“Oh my god,” Patrick muttered, astounded by how wonderful it all felt, he shifted so he was halfway on top of David and fucked into his hand, grinding their cocks together hard and fast. He was propped up on one elbow, with his other hand on the bed next to David to hold himself up. Any fear or worry he’d felt earlier was gone, and everything felt so natural and perfect. They’d stopped kissing all together and were just panting and moaning as they both got closer to the edge. 

David tried to push both of their shirts up, so they wouldn’t make a mess of them, but in their position it was hard to do much of anything. 

Patrick didn’t care about anything but how unbelievable it felt to do this with David. It was clumsy and the position was awkward and his arm was cramping a little, but it was perfect. With a few more thrusts, his hips spasmed and he came in David’s hand, his thick stream coming in waves as the pleasure washed over his body. It was the most incredible orgasm of his life and it took everything in him to not collapse on David. He moved onto his side and helped finish David off.

Ignoring the mess, David jerked himself off quickly, until Patrick’s hand took over and he fell apart completely, coming all over Patrick’s hand, and himself. This was so much better than he’d imagined the night going, and it was also the closest thing he’d ever experienced to ‘making love’. He let out a loud moan as he came, and Patrick kissed him to shut him up. It was perfect.

After they’d both started to come down, they realized how big of a mess they’d made. They were extremely sweaty and both of their shirts had cum on them. Idiots couldn’t have just taken them off in the first place. Regardless, Patrick had the biggest smile on his face as he stripped on his shirt and used it to clean them both up. He was so glad that he’d let David stay over. After they both had their dicks back in their pants, Patrick tugged on the bottom of David’s dirty sweatshirt to pull it off, but David resisted. 

It brought down Patrick’s buoyant mood and confused him. “There’s- it’s dirty?” What was David’s deal? They had just cum on each other why was taking his shirt off an issue?

“Okay.. just…” David was too high on sex to care right now so he just went for it. He pulled the sweatshirt off carefully over his head, and draped it over the laptop, which was playing the end of the long forgotten movie. He crossed his arms over his chest, feeling more exposed than he had with his dick out, but he tried be chill. Patrick was lovely, he wasn’t going to be scared off, especially after what they’d just done together.

Patrick watched as David finally removed his damn sweatshirt, and he saw his arms for the first time, they were muscular and a little hair and incredibly sexy. He didn’t understand why David didn’t show them off more often. He knew David had some body confidence issues, but Patrick thought he was gorgeous. 

Patrick knew they should get cleaned up properly and go pee, yada yada, but right now he just wanted to hold David. He snuggled his way up to him and pulled his head to his chest, wrapping his arms around him. More than sex, more than anything else, this is what he’d longed for. To just hold him. 

David relaxed in Patrick’s arms, feeling contented and his heart filled to the brim. He did many know where this relationship would go, and he had a hard time trusting that he wouldn’t get screwed over again, but at this moment, he felt peace.

Suddenly the door opened and both men jumped out of their skin. It was Ray.

“I thought you might be low on popping corn so I brought you some more,” Ray told them excitedly. 

“You have to knock, Ray, you can’t just come in! We’ve talked about this!” Patrick grabbed the duvet from the end of the bed and quickly pulled it up over them. All the important bits were already clothed, but still. 

“Right, right I see you haven’t the eaten first bowl yet, so I’ll let you get back to your movie,” he glanced toward the laptop that was covered by David’s sweatshirt. 

“Oh my god please leave,” David cried, hiding his face in Patrick’s chest. This was worse than the time his dad had found him in bed with Stevie. 

“Okay, okay. Door open or closed?”

“Closed!” they exclaimed in unison.

Ray closed the door, giving them a thumbs up on the way out. 

“Did that really just—“

“Wait for it,” Patrick told him.

Moments later the door opened again. “Ooh don’t worry I’m covering my eyes, I just wanted to see if you guys wanted some wine or beers?”

“Wine,” David told him, just because it really did sound good. 

“I don’t know which of you said that because I’m covering my eyes but I will get the wine.” Another thumbs up as he left with the door open this time. 

Patrick sighed and got out of bed to close the door, pissed their intimate moment had been interrupted. “Ok… we can’t do this again,” he told David, sitting back down on the bed.

“Oh.. uh, yeah totally, under… stand. We don’t even have to talk about this if you’ve got regrets or…” David didn’t feel surprised, he knew that it was all too good to be true, and he was used to being rejected after sex.

“God, no David. I just mean we can’t do it _ here_. Can you imagine if he’d walked in 5 minutes earlier?? And I’m sorry, but I_ like_ you, David. I’m not going anywhere, and I’m never gonna regret anything I do with you. You’re gonna have to work a lot harder than that to get rid of me.” Patrick felt like he’d found the cheat code to life, by meeting David. They was no way he’d ever give this up without a fight, now that he’d had a taste.

“You likeee me,” David teased like a kid in the schoolyard, feeling beyond relieved.

“Mm, I can take it back?”

“No! It’s mine now. You like me…. I uh, I like you too, of course.”

The door opened again as Ray brought them an open bottle of wine and two glasses. Without knocking of course.

“I wasn’t sure how much you wanted so I just brought it all.” 

“Thank you, Ray. But again. Please. Knock,” Patrick pleaded. 

“Of course.” He left the door open again.

After Patrick closed the door again he poured a glass of wine for each of them. 

“You think it’s poison?” David asked.

“I don’t think so, but I guess we’ll have to try it to find out.”

“Yeah, not the kinda poison that’ll kill you right away. More like knock you out just enough that he can drag you to the basement and dress you up in a bunny suit and force you to attend his tea parties.”

“Sometimes I wonder what it’s like inside your head.”

“Oh it’s a fucking nightmare, much scarier than your babadookie.”

“Don’t act like you weren’t scared, you couldn’t even watch half the movie.”

“How do you know that wasn’t just a ploy to get close to you?” 

“Cause I can you read you like a book.”

“Oh really?”

“Really.” Patrick lifted his glass and said, “cheers,” before he and David took drinks of their wine. Probably not poison… It wasn’t even 9 pm yet, but Patrick was exhausted. No sleep plus work, sex, and wine, made for a very sleepy Patrick.

After they’d drank some wine and were feeling a bit fuzzy and silly, they took turns washing up in the bathroom and they decided to put on another movie. This time David chose. It was some awful rom com about three women all finding out they were dating/married to the same man, and then seeking revenge on him. It was truly trash, but they both enjoyed it and laughed at the really ridiculous bits. Sometimes, just having a cuddle and watching something light hearted was enough to make everything in the world feel okay.

Despite Patrick being so tired, David actually fell asleep first, before the end of the movie. The idea of him sleeping on the pullout couch felt laughable now, as Patrick looked at him curled up in his bed and wanted nothing more than to spoon him all night. He took the opportunity to sit up and really look at every part of David for the first time. Before now, when they were around each other he’d had to keep his eyes on David’s face, so he didn’t alert him to his attraction. 

Patrick looked at all the curves and lines of David’s beautiful body, trying to take a mental picture. The way his features softened when he slept felt so pure, almost childlike. Patrick had an urge to protect him, even though he knew David was a fully capable man and could look after himself. They way David’s pants hugged his ass made Patrick want to see it bare. He wanted to be naked with David and for them to be completely open and vulnerable with each other. He wanted to see his chest and his stomach, he wanted to kiss the insides of his thighs. He wanted to feel nothing between them, just skin on skin.

He just wasn’t sure when he’d be ready to take it there, or where they’d even have the ability to do so. Ray’s house clearly wasn’t going to work out, and David’s whole family was at the motel.

His eyes took in every part until they landed on something he hadn’t seen before. David had kept his arms under the blanket during their movie, but now they were exposed. There were scars on David’s arms.

It wasn’t just a few scars either. There were layers and layers of them, too many to count. Just large patches of pale streaks and lumps on otherwise olive skin. They were clearly self inflicted. Nothing else would cause that kind of scarring, especially on both arms. Nothing looked fresh, so Patrick figured it was something David didn’t do anymore, a remnant of his past. He didn’t judge or feel any type of way about David for doing it, he just hoped that he was no longer at a point where he was in such deep pain, that he felt the compulsion to cut himself. Patrick knew that it was something entirely personal that belonged to David, but he couldn’t help but hope that his presence in David’s life could help him not feel the need to hurt himself. And he hoped that one day David would talk about it with him, since he clearly wasn’t ready to yet. 

His heart broke for him as he laid back down and held him tightly for while, thinking about all the ways he could love David. He understood the sweaters a little better now and he felt bad for having teased him about them in the past. He hoped he hadn’t made him feel pressured when he’d taken off his sweatshirt. Patrick pulled the blanket up and over David so he wouldn’t feel exposed when he woke up. He wasn’t going to say anything if David didn’t bring it up. It wasn’t his business if David didn’t want it to be. There was no reason to make him go through a conversation he might not be ready for, especially when he’d been so patient and willing to go slow with Patrick.

Carefully getting out of bed, to not wake David up, Patrick walked over to his desk. He found a pen and the birthday card that he hadn’t given to David last night, then he moved David’s bag so he could sit in the red chair. After looking at David for a while he began to write. He spilled his heart in that card, so much that all the words barely fit, even with his tight and neat handwriting. He didn’t know if he would _ever_ give this to David, it was definitely too early to do it any time soon. He just had to put his feelings down somewhere. 

When he’d finished he put the card in the envelope and wrote ‘David’ on the outside. He didn’t know where to put it so for now he just hid it in a random old business textbook that David would never touch. He turned off his laptop, shut off the light, and crawled back under the covers, cozying up to David. He kissed the back of his neck and inhaled deeply, smelling his hair. He didn’t know where this would all go, but he never wanted to forget that smell. 

~~~

The next morning David woke up early, as the morning light shone in through the cracks in the curtains, casting a golden glow across the room. The morning air felt cool on his skin, and his warm body seemed to meld with the one wrapped around him. He remembered where he was and what had happened last night, and he had one thought before he fell back asleep. He was finally home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based around episode 4.2 and the longest chapter yet, so basically just a whole lotta smut. Enjoy ;) next chapter will have a little more emotional depth I promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was asked to include a warning that this chapter includes some mild consensual spanking <3 please let me know if you see anything else you think needs a warning

Chapter 4

It had been almost two weeks since Patrick and David spent the night together. Both the store and the motel had been exceptionally busy, and Ray’s house was no man’s land, so they’d had a hard time finding privacy. 

The most they’d managed in that stretch of time was making out in the backroom of the store after hours, and occasionally _during_ store hours. They were craving physical connection so much that they had a hard time keeping their hands off of each other. Patrick was done with going slow. Everything was moving _too_ slow now, and he wanted everything, but there were too many barriers in the way. He didn’t want to experience any firsts in the entirely unromantic setting of the stockroom, so for now they hadn’t gone further than making out and handjobs. It felt dirty and weird to do it at their place of work, but there were really no other options.

David had considered getting them a hotel room in Elmdale, but he didn’t want to seem too presumptuous. He was still trying to follow Patrick’s lead, which soon included the occasional sexting. 

When it happened David was completely thrown off. It was evening and he was chatting with Alexis about something when his phone dinged. 

Patrick 7:23 What are you wearing? That’s how you start these things right?

David wasn’t sure if he was playing around or not so he tested the waters, ignoring whatever Alexis was saying about school or something boring, he hadn’t really been listening. 

David 7:23 the same thing you saw me in all day

Patrick 7:23 Take it off

David 7:24 Alexis is in the room so I don’t think that’s happening 

Patrick 7:24 Go to the bathroom 

David realized that Patrick was serious and he felt a rush go through his body. He told Alexis he was taking a shower and dipped into the bathroom with a change of clothes. Once inside he started the shower, without actually getting in.

David 7:27 Okay I’m alone

•••

Patrick 7:27 Show me

David looked around the dingy bathroom, trying to figure out the least offensive spot to take a sexy selfie. It took him a minute to get a decent one, which he then sent to Patrick. He made sure his phone was on silent so Alexis wouldn’t hear the camera clicks. 

David 7:29 your turn

There was a lull for a moment, then an image popped up on David’s screen. He almost dropped his phone when he saw what it was. It was a bathroom mirror picture of Patrick, but his head wasn’t included. He was naked and holding his hard dick in his hand. David immediately pulled down his own pants and underwear and started to touch himself. He didn’t know his sweet Patrick had it in him to send dick pics, and he was both impressed and really fucking aroused. 

David 7:31 you’re so ducking sexy

David 7:31 *fucking

Patrick 7:31 Are you touching yourself?

David replied with a birds eye view photo of his hand wrapped around his hard cock.

Patrick 7:32 What would you do to me if you were here right now?

David 7:32 I’d be on my knees 

Patrick 7:32 More specifics please David

David 7:32 I’d lick your cock and taste you

Patrick 7:33 How do I taste?

David 7:33 amazing

David 7:33 I’d take you in my mouth and make it so hot and wet

Patrick 7:33 Don’t stop

David 7:33 I’d let you grab my hair and fuck my mouth and I’d swallow you down my throat 

Patrick 7:34 Fuck I want u so badim gonna cum

David was having a hard time maintaining the conversation while he was jerking off, as he kept scrolling back up to see the picture of Patrick. 

David 7:34 cum in my mouth please I want to taste you I want to feel you cum inside me

•••

•••

The next text David received was a picture of Patrick’s hand around his dick, covered in his cum. 

Patrick 7:35 I wish you were here to lick this up

David came hard, staring at the picture of Patrick’s swollen and satiated cock. He needed to make this fantasy a reality, and soon. He knew without a doubt that he could give Patrick the best blowjob of his life, and his talents felt wasted thus far. He sent back a similar picture to Patrick’s.

David 7:36 so do I

•••

•••

Patrick 7:36 I want to taste you too

He bit back a moan at the idea of Patrick’s mouth on him. He’d thought a lot about sucking Patrick’s dick, but he hadn’t been sure if he’d be down return the favor, at least not for a while.

David 7:36 we need to find a place to be alone 

Patrick 7:37 Let’s just off Ray. We’ll have a good 48 hours alone before anyone catches on 

David 7:37 I bet prisons here have conjugal visits

Patrick 7:37 No way, we’re both getting locked up but it’ll be worth it. Maybe we’ll be cellmates

David 7:38 we’ll call it a crime of passion

Patrick 7:38 I’d just like to state for the record that if anything ever happens to Ray and the government is reading this, we’re 100% joking and would never kill anyone just so we can have sex.

Patrick 7:38 Or kill anyone for any reason

David 7:38 speak for yourself 

David 7:39 those detectives are gonna get an eyeful looking through our messages

Patrick 7:39 Lucky them [kissy face emoji]

David texted back a knife and a heart emoji, then quickly stripped and hopped in the shower to get the last couple minutes of warm water. He wondered if they could close the store for the day tomorrow and just go somewhere, anywhere together. Obviously, Patrick would object, but he needed the intimacy.

When he got out of the shower he had another text from Patrick. A video link. 

Patrick 7:43 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EfVhJkQ-mt8 I heard this on the radio today and now I can’t stop thinking about you. About us.

When he clicked it to took him to YouTube and began playing a song. ‘Shy’ by Leon Bridges. He played the song as he dried off and got dressed, feeling so warm and happy. He’d never been wooed like this before, he’d always been the one begging for any amount of affection or romance. It felt too good to be true.

The song played on loop as he left the bathroom and laid down in his bed. He just ignored Alexis asking him why he was playing it and put his headphones on, closing his eyes and thinking about Patrick. He wanted to dance with him.

A few days after the sexting excursion, David had to deal with finding out that Alexis was pregnant. It was way too much for him to process. Who was even the dad? Did she even have the emotional depth to love a baby? He was worried about his little sister, but he couldn’t even think about it, because he had his own difficult situation going on. 

At work David explained the Alexis issue to Patrick and tried to get some comfort from him, but customers kept interrupting them. It was driving him mad, because he just wanted be close to Patrick and the world was constantly stopping it from happening. He’d had a taste of him and now he needed to experience every part of him. To fully give himself to him

Patrick was in the same boat, desperate to take the next step in their relationship and get to explore further with David. The last couple weeks had been the happiest of his life, but he couldn’t stand the limitations being put on them by their busy schedules and living situations. 

When there had been a stretch of time without customers, Patrick grabbed David by the hem of his black sweatshirt and pulled him into the backroom. He pushed him toward the wardrobe furtherest from the door, too desperate for his touch to even think about closing the curtain behind him. 

“Oh,” David whispered, as Patrick pressed his body up against him and began kissing him intensely. David knew they didn’t have much time, as a customer could walk in at any moment, so he embraced him passionately, untucking Patrick’s shirt to run his hands up his back. He turned them around so that Patrick was against the wardrobe, and lifted him up to sit on it, Patrick jumping up a bit to help. He stood between Patrick’s spread legs and felt Patrick’s hands wrap around him and go into his pants and underwear to squeeze his ass. 

“I want to fuck you,” Patrick whispered in David ear, trepidation in his tone, causing David to let out a soft moan. 

“Please... I need it.”

“We can’t do it here. But soon. I need to be inside you.” 

David moaned at the thought and started kissing and sucking on Patrick’s neck, scratching his nails down his back and making him shudder. He undid Patrick’s belt and zipper and reached into his jeans to grip his dick over his underwear, causing him to get hard quickly. They knew they didn’t have time for this, but they couldn’t resist each other. 

If the store had been closed already, Patrick would’ve thought, fuck it, and just let David suck his dick in that backroom. It had been too long and he was tired of waiting. He wanted to feel everything. 

Somewhere in another dimension a door bell dinged, but it didn’t even register to David, he was too full of lust and potential energy. He’d give anything to just lean over the wardrobe and let Patrick take him right then and there. 

Patrick on the other hand _did_ hear the door and pulled his hands out of David’s pants. He pushed David off of him so he could hop off the wardrobe and started to fix his clothes. “Go!” he whispered. 

David pouted at him as he wiped his mouth, hearing clomping footsteps in the store. 

“Ding ding,” a voice said, just as David was walking out. When he realized it was Stevie and he felt a flash of pure hatred. Such a cockblock, he thought. Jesus fucking Christ.

David cleared his throat and straightened his clothes out. “Hi… we’re actually closed, today,” he lied, just wanting her to go away so he could get back to Patrick. 

“It’s one o clock on a Friday?”

“Okay? Is there something I can help you with?”

“Do you give all your customers this kind of VIP treatment?”

“Actually I do, um, and I would love to keep chatting, it’s just that um, Patrick and I are were working on fixing a, uh, light bulb in the back, so we— oh hey.”

Just then Patrick walked out, after getting his erection to go away and getting his belt back on. His fingers were fumbling from the adrenaline and he’d had a hard time getting his shirt tucked in right.

“Hey, Stevie.”

“Hi,” she replied with a smirk.

“David and I were just in the back doing some inventory.” Patrick tried to play it off, but he was a little out of breath and his heart was racing.

“Yeah,” David agreed, even though he’d given Stevie a different excuse.

“Hmm, yeah. Seems like you guys are really busy… at _work_.”

“Uh..” Patrick looked out the window, embarrassed they’d been caught. They were grown adults, they should have better self control than this.

“Ooh, what’s that?” Stevie asked, pointing at Patrick’s neck. 

“What’s what?” Patrick looked behind him nervously.

“You’ve got a little red um… Is that a bug bite? Or a… tiny mouth shaped sunburn?”

Patrick reached up to touch his neck, his face getting hot.

David bit his lips together. Oops, he thought. Maybe he got a bit carried away…

“Looks like a hickey, actually.”

“But it’s not, it’s not a—“ Patrick let out a nervous chuckle and looked at David. “It’s not a hickey, right? Because that would be disgusting and wilding unprofessional. David did you give me a hickey?” He was mad. David knew how much Patrick cared about keeping his appearance professional and he didn’t like things being out of his control. 

“Okay, no I didn’t. I gave you a _half_ hickey because we haven’t had the time or the privacy for me to give you a full hickey!” 

“If you give me 50 bucks I’ll stand outside and tell people you’re on lunch?” Stevie offered.

“I’ll give you 50 cents to stand outside and never come back,” David sassed back.

Patrick was looking at his neck in a handheld mirror, seeing the red spot that Stevie had mentioned. It would probably fade in a couple hours, but it was still embarrassing. They didn’t need to scare off clientele. “You see, this is why we can’t do this here.”

“Desperate times, huh?”

“No, trying times,” David corrected Stevie. “Nothing about _this_ is desperate. It’s just that there’s a lot of people at the motel, and Patrick is renting a room from Ray—“

“Who really likes to chat,” Patrick interrupted as he buttoned up his shirt to hide the evidence. 

“Yeah, so there’s literally been _zero_ privacy.”

“Well, if you want, I’m happy to offer you guys _my_ apartment for the night.”

The offer surprised both men. “Why? Why would you do that?” David questioned, knowing their must be some ulterior motive. 

“Because I care about you two.”

“Okay. And where will you be?”

“Uh, well if you must know, work’s been really stressful, so.. I’m going to take a little me time at a spa in Elmdale.”

“That is SUPER generous,” Patrick piped in, “but wouldn’t it be a little bit weird? Us having alone time at your place? Especially because you guys have—“

“Oh god no, no we’ve never—“

“No, never, ew!”

“We’ve never don’t that there.”

“Never. I still _live_ there.”

That was a huge relief to Patrick. He tried not to be jealous of Stevie, because he knew she was David’s best friend, but the fact that she’d been more sexual with David than he had, really bugged him. Maybe this could be their opportunity to change that. “I mean, we could consider it.” He looked toward David, really hoping he was onboard. 

“What exactly is the catch?”

“No catch.”

David weighed his options for a minute. Obviously he would love a whole night alone with Patrick, but something about it just felt off. Patrick shot him a look though, that reminded him of what he’d whispered to him in the backroom. 

“David.”

“What?”

“We’ll take the place,” Patrick answered for them. He knew not to question a good thing.

“Okay, we’ll take the place.”

“Great, and I’ll take _this_.” Stevie left without paying for her bag of organic strawberries.

“So there’s a bit of a catch,” David called after her. Another customer had just walked in, so they didn’t have time to talk about it, but Patrick looked excitedly at David, his mind full of ideas.

“You go help them,” Patrick told him, gesturing to his only half hidden hickey. “You owe me.”

David rolled his eyes and pecked Patrick on the cheek, before going to assist the customer. It was going to be a long day.

The hours seemed to creep by, with not enough customers to keep them distracted, but too many to go be alone in the back. David kept bringing up how weird it was that Stevie offered her apartment, because she wasn’t known for her immense generosity. Patrick agreed that it was odd, but even if she _had_ asked for more than free strawberries in return, it would’ve been worth it. Hell, he’d file her taxes for her. He was tired of hearing David complaining, because they were finally getting their opportunity to be together, and he didn’t want anything spoiling that. 

After what felt like forever, they finally closed the store. They got in Patrick’s car and drove to the motel first, to get David’s things. Fortunately none of his family was around to talk about the Alexis issue or ask where he was going, so he was able to gather his things quickly and efficiently before they returned. 

“Drive, drive,” he told Patrick when he got back in the car, seeing his dad walking out of the office.

They hightailed it out of there and drove to Ray’s house next to get some of Patrick’s things. Ray was taking photographs of a client, so fortunately they didn’t have to talk with him either. They were having really great luck so far. They went up to Patrick’s bedroom so he could pack an overnight bag.

When they entered the room they both looked toward the bed. It had been two weeks since their messy romp, and the thought of just pouncing on each other right then and there was on both of their minds. But no, they needed to save up their energy for tonight, and Ray could finish up any minute and come say hi.

“Have you been thinking about it?” David asked, sitting down and running his hand across the bed. 

“Every night,” Patrick admitted. He was in the process of getting his gym bag down from the top of his closet so he could use it as an overnight bag. 

“Me too. At least your roommate doesn’t sleep in the same room as you.”

Patrick agreed that David’s situation was worse, but living at Ray’s was hardly sunshine and rainbows. He knew he needed to start saving up for an apartment, but the store wasn’t making much profit yet, and his income was lacking a bit.

After gathering clothes and toiletries, Patrick paused, looking at his bedside table, and began to blush. David took notice.

“Ooh what’s in there? Can I look?” David was hoping for something really surprising. Maybe Patrick was really into kinky shit and had a whip or something. When Patrick nodded, David opened the drawer. There was just a bottle of lube rolling around in the otherwise empty drawer. Still exciting, based on its potential, but not as juicy as David had hoped. “Oh yeah, are we.. are we gonna need this tonight?” he asked playfully, picking up the bottle and giving it a little shake. Patrick looked all nervous and David loved it.

“If you- if that’s… if that what you want?” 

“What do _you_ want, Patrick? You know I’m open to absolutely an-y-thing, we’re going at _your_ pace.”

“I… I already told you want I want.”

“Which is?” David prompted, stepping close to Patrick and looking deep in his eyes.

“I want to fuck you.” 

“Okay, then we’ll definitely need this,” David chuckled, dropping the bottle into the open bag and then plopping back down on Patrick’s bed and crossing his legs. “You got any other fun surprises?” he teased.

“Guess you’ll have to wait and see,” Patrick smirked, dropping his seriousness as well.

“Ooh I love a mystery.” 

Patrick finished packing his bag and they slinked out the front door, hoping to avoid Ray. “I won’t be home tonight!” he called out, just before closing door. Fortunately Ray didn’t chase them down, and they were able to get in the car in peace. 

“So where exactly _is_ Stevie’s apartment?” 

“Patrick. This town is so small we could just drive around for like, 5 minutes and find it by accident, I don’t think we need navigation. It’s like… brick?”

“Okay, easy to say when you’re not the one driving.”

“Ugh, fine I’ll get the address.”

David texted Stevie and got her address after a few minutes, and they headed over. When they arrived Patrick knocked and they were let in. 

“Please, come in, come in.”

“Ooh,” Patrick said as he looked around the place. He felt a little awkward knowing that she knew they were going to be fucking in her place, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

“Welcome. Umm… make yourselves at home. Just so you know there’s nothing in the fridge. Oh, and I marked the booze so I’ll know if you touch it.”

“I noticed the line is a couple inches above where the whiskey starts,” Patrick joked, leaning against the fridge.

“_I_ am stunned by your generosity,” David told her insincerely, as she handed over the keys. “Um, where exactly are you going tonight?” 

“Out to a spa.”

“Which she already told us,” Patrick reminded him, “so maybe just say thank you.”

“Oh, no I did, I did say thank you. Multiple times. Um… what is the name of the spa?”

“David! Let’s just let her go, okay?” Patrick was worried that David was going to make Stevie change her mind on letting them stay. They _needed_ this. 

“Okay, yeah,” David agreed, still suspicious.

Just then a knock came at the door and Stevie looked startled. 

“Are we expecting company? Or—“ David trailed off, confused.

“No. I wasn’t.”

David was shocked when he saw Jake walk in. He hadn’t seen him since they’d broken things off, and it was disorienting to have him in the same room as Patrick.

“Hey Pony. Are you ready to go?” he asked Stevie.

“What are you doing? I said I would meet you outside!”

“I thought I’d help you with your bags.”

Patrick was looking between them amused. He wondered why Stevie had been felt the need to keep her date with this (very attractive) man a secret. His amusement faded when the man greeted David. 

“David. Wow, it’s been a while.” 

“Pony,” David mumbled and cleared his throat awkwardly as Jake kissed him on the lips, completely ignoring Patrick’s presence, and told him that he looked good.

Patrick’s face fell and he felt like he’d been punched in the gut. He realized that they hadn’t had a conversation about being exclusive, but he’d thought it was implied. He knew that David wasn’t his possession, but seriously, how dare this man kiss _his_ David, right in front of him. The urge to just grab David’s hand and claim him as his own was strong, but Patrick tried to be cool. He didn’t know what the situation was here.

“Who’s this guy?” Jake asked, pointing at Patrick, to add insult to injury. 

“This is… my… That’s—” David was going to say boyfriend, but he realized that they hadn’t actually decided on an official label yet.

“Patrick,” he finished for David, who seemed to be struggling. He reached forward to shake the man’s hand. 

“That’s Patrick.”

“And you are?” Patrick asked through his teeth as they shook hands. His grip was extra firm, trying to assert some kind of dominance.

“Picking up Stevie.”

“Yeah, we’re gonna go, so…”

“So I’m not getting a name then.” Patrick was tense and really annoyed, but trying to not overreact. He didn’t want to seem like a jealous guy, even if he definitely was in this instance.

“Um, so you and “Pony”, what, what do you have planned for tonight?” David couldn’t help but ask. He was dumbstruck by the whole situation, and not thinking about how Patrick might be affected.

“Well, it’s date night, so we thought maybe we’d spend it in the woods,” Jake explained. Whatever that meant. 

“Yeah, just galloping around the woods huh?” David leaned on Patrick’s shoulder, deeply uncomfortable. “Yeah, with your _pony_. Not at a spa, so… I take it you two are still-“

“Seeing each other, yes,” Stevie finished for him. “As it turns out, we are.”

Jake pointed between Stevie and David. “After we all broke up, Stevie came over to end things officially, and it just didn’t stick, so.”

Patrick leaned back against the fridge, physically distancing himself from David as he heard the part about them _all_ breaking up. This was just getting worse and worse. 

“Yeah, yeah. No it didn’t stick did it?” David grimaced.

“When you say “We all broke up—“” Patrick questioned, his arms tightly crossed. Half of him wanted to know what the hell was going on, and the other half just wanted to leave.

“So you offering your apartment,” David cut off Patrick, still interrogating Stevie,“had nothing to do with any _guilt_ you felt about… harboring a little secret?”

Stevie shook her head weakly. “Nope. Just trying to be a good person, so… We’re gonna go, leave you two lovebirds.”

“Unless you two wanna come?” Jake asked, pointing at them.

“Nope! I don’t think so,” David rejected the offer and clung to Patrick. 

Stevie told him, “ c’mon” and hit him with her bag.

“You do you.”

“Good to meet you. _Man_,” Patrick told him as they left, feeling physically ill. 

They stood their awkwardly for a moment as David pawed at Patrick’s shoulder.

“So we’re gonna talk about this, right?” 

“Yep, I’m just gonna grab that bottle of—“

“Whiskey? Yeah.”

“Yeah, the whiskey.”

Patrick went and sat on the bed, unable to relax. His heart was pounding and he was breathing deeply to stay calm. David sat beside him and handed him a glass of whiskey, which he took a big swig of.

“So?” Patrick asked

David sighed and tried to explain the whole messy situation to Patrick, telling him about the party and not realizing they were both dating Jake and him trying to form a throuple. None of this made Patrick feel any better. After explaining it all, David brought Patrick another, much fuller glass of whiskey. “So this is for you, um… Cheers… to priiivacy,” he toasted, clicking his glass against Patrick’s and leaning in for a kiss.

Patrick turned his head away. “Sorry, I’ve just gotta go through that one more time. So. _you_ dated Jake, and then Stevie dated Jake.”

“Mmhm.”

“And at one point, you all—“

“No! See that’s where you’re wrong. We _almost_ all, but I said no.”

“Ah.”

“Because Stevie and I agreed that would be a bad idea, but it appears that I’m the only one that held up my end of that agreement.”

“And you’re upset about this because you still—“ Patrick assumed, feeling full of self doubt. Of course David would want to be with _Jake_, not only was he really good looking, he was was so sure of himself and his sexuality. They’d probably had amazing sex, and Patrick had never even given a blowjob before. 

“No!” David corrected him, “I’m not upset! I— I don’t want _any_ of that! It’s a principle thing. And we are getting side tracked right now. Okay? So… WHO is feeling sssexy?” He leaned toward Patrick, but Patrick turned away again.

“Getting there, for sure, I just— You know, I… I knew you had a _rich_ dating history, David. I just didn’t expect to be graced by the presence of two of your exes tonight.”

“Yeah, funny thing, neither did I… So…”

Patrick looked at him for a moment, trying to process it all. He supposed it wasn’t fair to hold it over David’s head. If it had been Rachel that had just unexpectedly shown up like that, it definitely wouldn’t be very cool, for either of them. “But…”

“Mmhm.”

“Given we only have the apartment for one night…” 

“Mm,” David nodded in agreement. 

“Maybe its best if we… lock that box back up for now?”

“I think that’s a good ideas. Mmhm.”

“Mmhm.” 

They leaned in and finally shared a kiss, before David pulled back. “You know what, we didn’t even get into your history—“

“Lock it up, David, lock it up.” It was too early to bring up the whole Rachel thing. It was a pretty big _thing_ and he did want David to think less of him for having stayed in a dead end relationship for a decade. Or worry that he might ever go back to her. She was the last thing on Patrick’s mind, especially when he was with David.

“Oh, okay,” David giggled as Patrick kissed him again, more passionately this time, his hand gripping the back of David’s neck. 

Patrick wanted to erase the memory of Jake’s lips from David’s mind. He stopped for a moment and took David’s glass from him, setting both down on the side table, before returning to David. 

“You know,” Patrick admitted, “I felt a lot of… you know… “alpha male aggression” when I saw him… kiss you. I didn’t… like it.”

“Yeah, that was… unexpected.”

“I don’t know if that’s... If you want… You know…”

“I don’t want to kiss anyone else, Patrick.” David could tell where he was leading, and just cut to the chase. Patrick was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he was serious about keeping him around. He figured Patrick would inevitably hurt him or leave him, but he wasn’t going to do anything to add to the likelihood of that.

“Okay. That’s… Okay.” Patrick felt relieved and happy that David was on the same page at him. It was as if a wall came down inside of him, and he was ready to be fully open with David now. He stood up and pulled his blue sweater and white T-shirt up over his head, tossing them aside. 

David realized in that moment that he had no excuse not to be fully naked with Patrick. And he _wanted_ to be too, he wanted a complete connection. Even though he’d taken off his sweatshirt when he’d slept in Patrick’s bed, in the last two weeks Patrick had never brought it up, so he must not have seen his scars. He supposed that if this was going ruin everything, it might as well happen now, before things went any further. David took a deep breath and took off his black and white sweater, folding it and placing it on Stevie’s dresser. This was the first time Patrick had ever seen him shirtless, and he was nervous of what Patrick would think of his body, as well as his scars. He knew he had gained a little weight since his move to Schitt’s Creek, or as Sebastian Raine had said “he looked healthy”. His body image was probably another reason why he wore thick sweaters all of the time, instead of more slim fitting garb.

“David,” Patrick whispered, “you’re so beautiful.” He was taken aback by how sexy David was under all those bulky layers. He was definitely muscular, there was clear definition to his pecs and abs, with a perfect amount of softness there too. His chest and stomach were covered in a thin layer of dark hair, and there was a thick patch below his belly button. Patrick couldn’t believe that he would hide this body, or ever feel bad about it, but he knew there was trauma in David’s past, even if they hadn’t discussed it at depth. He understood how self image could be affected by external circumstances, but he hoped someday David could see himself the way he saw him.

Patrick knew that David was being extremely vulnerable and brave, and he wanted to show him just how much he wanted him, how some scars could never change how he felt about him. He pushed David back onto the bed and let him scoot himself back. Then he climbed on top of David and straddled his hips. He leaned forward and kissed his lips, then his neck and shoulders. He ran had hands along David’s torso and licked the hollow of his shoulder blade, tasting the salt and sweetness of his skin. He wanted more. 

David held his breath as Patrick picked up his arm and began to kiss his way down it from his shoulder. When he’d reached his wrist, he turned his arm over and placed a soft kiss on his scars, then another on his wrist. He kissed a couple of his fingertips, then made eye contact with David as he sucked one of his fingers into his mouth. David had never felt the urge to cry and cum so strongly at the same time. Patrick didn’t seem shocked or disgusted at all. He still wanted every part of him. He was loving.

Patrick watched David’s reaction carefully, to make sure he wasn’t crossing any lines. He sucked on and licked David’s fingers for a moment, then set his arm back down and started kissing down his torso, stopping to nuzzle his chest hair and feel the firmness of his broad chest. He moved himself backwards so he was now between David’s legs, and began to kiss down his stomach, until he reached the waistband of David’s underwear, showing above his jeans. 

David was overwhelming with feeling, but he didn’t want to put any pressure on Patrick, so he laid there, open and accepting, waiting to see where Patrick wanted to take this. He gasped as Patrick unbuttoned his pants, and lifted his hips so he could pull them down, as well as his underwear. 

Patrick stood at the end of the bed and pulled David clothes all the way off, taking his socks off in the process. He gazed over David’s fully naked body, in absolute marvel. There was so much of him. Everyone Patrick had ever been with had been significantly smaller than himself. He just wanted to drown in every inch of David. He quickly removed the rest of his own clothes, so David wouldn’t be the only one fully exposed. He climbed back into back and crawled up David’s body.

“You’re so sexy baby,” he whispered into David’s neck, then sucked hard on his neck, giving him a hickey as revenge for the one he’d given him earlier. 

“Mmm,” David moaned, running his hands all over Patrick’s naked body. This was the first time they’d been like this, just too human bodies intertwined. He needed more, he needed everything, but they had all night. There was no rush. He sat up so Patrick was sitting in his lap with his knees on either side of him and wrapped his arms around him, just holding him close for a moment to feel his skin against him. Then he flipped them over so Patrick was on his back and he thrust his hips against him, rutting against the smooth crease between his thigh and crotch for a moment while they kissed.

Patrick was getting so hard he needed to be touched. “I need your mouth on me. I’ve waited so long I need it.”

David smirked a little, knowing he was going to blow Patrick’s mind -as well as his dick. “Thought you’d never ask.” He quickly moved down the bed and got face to face with Patrick’s dick for the first time. He’d seen it a couple times, but never up close. It was beautiful, the light hair matched the spattering of it on Patrick’s chest. He made eye contact with Patrick and licked up the underside of his dick, flicking his tongue at the top. 

“Oh fuck,” Patrick moaned, his hips twitching up. He couldn’t take the teasing he needed MORE.

David licked his lips and then took Patrick’s cock into his mouth, swallowing him deep all at once, then pulling almost all the way off and repeating.

Patrick grabbed at the bed with one hand and the other hand went loosely in David’s hair. This was like nothing he’d ever felt. It took everything in him to not cum in David’s mouth right away. That would be no good, because he had other plans for tonight. “Yes yes ohmygod,” he cried breathlessly. David was relentless, pulling out tricks and moves he didn’t even know existed. Every part of his body felt hot and fuzzy, like he was just a blob pleasure, as he writhed around on the duvet. When he got way too close to coming down David’s hot, tight throat, he gripped David’s hair and gently tugged, to indicate that he wanted him to let up.

Getting the message, David released Patrick’s dick and sat up. “I like when you pull my hair.”

“I’ve wanted to do it for months,” Patrick told him, threading his fingers through it and pulling it harder, bringing David back up to him and kissing him deeply, tasting the earthiness on his lips. “Now it’s my turn.” 

David bit his lip and moved into position with his back against the pillows and bed frame. Patrick lied on his side propped up on his elbow, coming at David’s dick from a diagonal. He’d read online that it was the easiest way to suck a dick. He’d done a _lot_ of research. In practice it was kind of an awkward position, so he just copied the way David had done it, laying on his stomach between his legs, propped up on his elbows. “You’re gonna have to teach me a few… uh things, but I’ll do best.”

“Patrick. There are people out there fucking jars of peanut butter right now. It’s a dick. Anything you do is gonna feel good just relax.”

Patrick chuckled and tested out the waters, licking the tip of David’s dick. The taste was pretty much was he’d expected. It just tasted like skin, but little bit saltier. He wanted to impress David with his skills, but he knew it wouldn’t compare to what David had done to him, so he didn’t push himself too hard. He sucked along the outside of it, down to his balls, and gave them a lick, which got a noise out of David. Then he gave a few big licks, just to get it wet. He gripped the base with his hand and put the top few inches in his mouth, sort of bouncing up and down on it. It didn’t feel quite right, so he stuck his tongue out and rested David’s dick on it, then started jerking him off into his mouth, taking it in a little deeper and closing his lips, moving his head a little bit more. He had to stop occasionally to take big breaths and rest his jaw, jerking him off in the meantime and kissing his balls.

It wasn’t the best blow job he’d ever received, but the fact that it was _Patrick_ sucking his cock made it feel fucking amazing. Also he could tell Patrick had serious potential. He wanted to learn, to figure out how to make him feel good. And David was definitely down to teach him. Practice makes perfect, and he was hoping there’d be a lot of “practice” in their future. 

After a few minutes, Patrick pulled off of David’s dick, and moved back to kiss again. They made out for while just soaking each other in, rolling around and grinding their bodies together, touching every part they could get their hands on. They were both in heaven, they didn’t want it to end. 

“Fuck me,” David groaned, “I need you inside of me.”

Patrick was definitely in support of that idea. He peeled his body away from David’s and looked around for his bag. He realized that he’d left in the front hall. “I’ll be right back,” he promised, feeling a little silly as we walked across Stevie’s apartment naked, his hard dick guiding him like a compass. Once he found the bag he dug around until he found the lube, then jogged back to bed. 

Patrick had asked that they both get tested before doing anything further, after their first night together, so they both knew their statuses and were comfortable with not using condoms. He was pretty sure he wasn’t going to last long, especially without a condom, but he kinda felt like the first time was more getting it out of the way, so they could build from there. Hopefully they’d have a long time to grow sexually with each other, and find that synchronicity.

David was beyond ready for anything Patrick could give him. He’d been fantasizing about it for so long, and now it was finally happening. As Patrick was getting the lube David positioned himself on his hands and knees, popping his booty so he’d have a nice view.

Patrick let out a little chuckle/groan when he saw David. His ass was so perky and juicy and sexy, Patrick really didn’t understand how he’d gone so long not knowing he was gay. “Someone’s eager…” he teased, giving David’s ass a light slap.

“Harder,” David demanded, shaking his ass. Patrick obliged, giving it a hard _smack_ that left a red handprint. “More!” he cried, getting painfully turned on. Patrick spanked him a couple more times, until he was looking pretty red and he didn’t want to hurt him. He picked up the bottle of lube and squirted some on his fingers. 

“Just start with one—“

“Don’t worry baby, I’ve done my research,” Patrick assured him. If there was one thing he was good at, it was being prepared. He coated one finger well and wiped some lube around the outside of David’s hole. Adding a little more to his finger, he made gentle circles around the outside for a moment, before slowly pushing his finger in. The tight heat felt insane, even just on his finger. He dick was throbbing at this point, desperate for release. He slowly worked David open the way he’d read about, eventually building to three fingers. He felt like he was using way too much lube, but he was scared he was going to hurt David if he didn’t.

By the time Patrick had three fingers in, David was already thrusting back against them. Just Patrick’s fingers felt lovely, but he needed his cock. “I’m ready, just fuck me already,” he begged. After he felt Patrick’s fingers come out, he flipped over to lay on his back with his knees up. “I want to see your face when you cum.”

Patrick was a little nervous, just because he wanted it all to be perfect. His only other attempt at this had been a failure, and he didn’t want to let David down. He tried to find his confidence, and let the lust take over any brain space he’d given to his fears. He lubed up himself and knelt between David’s knees. Carefully watching David’s face for signs of discomfort, Patrick slowly lined himself up and pushed the tip of his cock into his ass. He squeezed the base of his dick so he wouldn’t cum right away, and slowly pushed in further until his hips were flush with David’s. Every part of his dick was being squeezed. He’d really never felt anything as good as this, and he hadn’t even started moving yet. 

“So fucking tight,” he moaned gently rocking his hips.

“Fuck me,” David groaned, wiggling around, trying to get more stimulation. 

Always a good listener, Patrick obeyed and pulled halfway out, before snapping back in, eliciting a loud moan out of David. He realized that even though he’d never fucked in this way before, fucking was fucking. And it was something he was definitely talented at. He started out thrusting slowly and shallowly, trying to hit angles he knew would feel good. When David begged for more he started to thrust hard and fast, pounding into him and pushing David’s knees up to his chest so he could get more leverage. 

Moaning/shouting with every thrust, David could probably be heard by every neighboring apartment, but it didn’t matter. It was absolute bliss. It was both loving and really fucking dirty, it was perfect. But his hips were cramping so he needed to change positions. He rolled them over so he was on top and started grinding and riding David, feeling him fill him completely and pressing down hard.

Patrick gripped at David’s hips and pulled him down even harder against himself, wanting to go deeper and deeper, even though he was all the way in. Then David grabbed his hands and held them on the bed above his head and started to twerk on his dick. “You’re so good _oh fuck yes_ you’re so sexy,” he cried feeling himself getting so close. With David on top he couldn’t control the pace and keep himself from coming, but it didn’t matter. It was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.

“Pull my hair,” David instructed moving his hands to the bed frame. He was a little out of breath from the workout. It was rough on his quads, but he knew how sexy he looked with his ass bouncing on Patrick’s dick, so it was worth it. He lifted one knee so he could plant his foot for more leverage, and started lifting himself higher and smashing down, as Patrick pulled his hair hard to the side. The bed was squeaking like crazy, but neither of them paid any attention. The sounds of skin slapping and gasps and groans filled the room. 

Finally, Patrick couldn’t contain it any longer, and he came inside of David, feeling it in every inch of his body. David kept grinding throughout Patrick’s orgasm, intentionally squeezing around him to make it more intense. Patrick was crying out and trembling, his face was full of pure ecstasy and his back arching off the bed. It was everything David had hoped for, and he wished he could take a picture. 

After coming down enough to feel like he was in his body again, Patrick rolled them back over so David was on his back. He carefully pulled out of him, and started sucking his dick again. This time he did it with more fervor, taking him in as deep as he could and getting sloppy and messy, just trying to provide as much stimulation as possible. It only took a minute before David was pushing on his shoulder “I’m gonna— I’m gonna cum,” he warned him, but Patrick kept going. Moments later the back of his mouth filled with warm liquid, as David’s cock pulsed in his mouth. He pushed with his tongue up along the underside of his cock, moving it with the cum. He had tasted his own cum before so the flavor didn’t surprise him, but the amount did. He swallowed a few times but he felt like he’d eaten a spoonful of peanut butter and he needed something to wash it down. 

David was completely worn out after his orgasm. He just lied there panting, staring at the ceiling. It was without a doubt the best sex he’d ever had. He’d been with more experienced people, but no one had ever taken the time to worship his body the way Patrick had. To fuck him with respect. With care. It was like a whole new world. His head was spinning and he wanted to just cuddle for infinity, but he knew he needed to go use the bathroom before he leaked onto Stevie’s duvet. “First of all- that was truly… incredible. Second of all, would you like to join me for a shower?” he asked Patrick, who had grabbed his whiskey and started to sip it to wash down the cum.

“I think we both need it, so, uh, yeah,” Patrick chuckled. He leaned in to kiss David sweetly, loving how completely unraveled he looked. He seemed peaceful, like the anxiety that clouded his mind constantly was taking a little vacation and letting him just feel _good_. He wished they could be like this all the time. “You go on,” Patrick told him, “I’ll get us some clean clothes and then I’ll get in too.”

David went to the bathroom and Patrick heard the shower start. He went to grab their bags and brought them to the couch, then looked through them until he found their pajamas, toiletries, and something else. “You ready for the other surprise?” Patrick called as he walked toward the bathroom.

“What?” David was already in the shower and couldn’t hear what he was saying over the sound of the water. He felt physically worn out, but revitalized under the relaxing hot water. The shower pressure was so much better than at the motel, and he was definitely going to bug Stevie about that. “What did you say?” he asked again as Patrick stepped into the shower with him, setting down the shower stuff David brought.

“The other “fun surprise”, are you ready for it?” Patrick poured some shampoo in his hands and rubbed in through David’s hair, massaging his scalp a little. 

“Mmm that’s nice. Is this the surprise?”

“No, I just love touching your hair.”

“Okay, then… what is it?”

“Let’s just get cleaned up first then I’ll show you.”

David wrapped his arms around Patrick and pulled him in for a kiss under the water. “Thank you.”

“You don’t even know what it is yet? But you’re welcome,” Patrick laughed.

“No not that, just… thank you.” For taking care of him. For kissing his scars. For being there. For being different. 

Patrick realized what David meant and held him tighter, realizing how hard it was for David to be so vulnerable. “Thank you, too. For everything.” They held each other for a minute, then broke apart to get clean. 

After they got out and got dry, Patrick got dressed and watched as David applied lotion to his entire body. He felt a little self conscious that he didn’t put any lotion on himself, but he just didn’t care enough. As long as he was clean and hygienic, the extra stuff didn’t matter much to him. He’d lotion himself when he felt dry, but covering every inch of his body after every shower, just felt excessive.

“Ok, so where is this alleged surprise?” David asked after he was dressed, looking around the bathroom. He watched as Patrick reached into his toiletries bag and pulled out a joint and lighter. Hell, yes. David loved to partake, but he’d never really talked about it with Patrick. He was excited that it was something they could share. “Mr. Brewer, coming in clutch.”

“Is that a sports reference? Wow, David, I’m impressed,” Patrick teased. “You think Stevie will be mad if we hotbox her bathroom?”

“After what she put us through? I don’t actually care if she minds. Light that shit.” David threw his wet towel on the ground to cover the crack under the door and keep the smoke inside. 

Patrick lit the joint and took a hit, then passed it to David. They smoked for a while, until the room was filled with a thick haze of smoke and they were both really stoned. After they were done they turned the bathroom fan on to suck up all the smoke, and waited until it was pretty clear before they opened the door and stumbled out of the bathroom, giggling and holding onto each other for support. 

They went back to the bed (because bed is safe) and fell into it together. “Now what?” Patrick asked, unable to hold in the massive smile on his face. He felt like he was lying on a pool float in the ocean, his body moving with the waves. Everything was so vidid and intense and he couldn’t look at anything but David’s face.

“Food. We need to food.”

“Ok ok. So there’s no food.”

“No food? No, there needs to be food.”

“Pizza?”

“_Pizza!_”

Patrick walked aimlessly around the apartment for a while “looking” for his phone. He kept forgetting what he was doing and walking back to the bed, where David would remind him, “pizza,” restarting his journey. Eventually he found his phone and worked on ordering a pizza. First he called the pizza place, but when they’d asked what time he wanted it delivered he told them, “whenever,” and then hung up without giving them his name or address. So he gave up on human interaction and ordered online. He kept misspelling things and closing his phone for no reason, but after a _long_ process, and David’s help, a pizza was on the way. 

They sat on the couch together and turned on the TV. Stevie didn’t have a smart TV, so they just watched what was on cable. There weren’t a lot of options, so they ended up watching a Frasier rerun marathon. Patrick lied down with his head in David’s lap, while David scratched his head. The lighthearted sitcom was just what they needed to help them relax and not feel paranoid or anxious from their high. They were laughing so much at the jokes, that they didn’t even hear when there was a knock on the door.

The knocking got louder and they both fell silent. Patrick’s heart started pounding, as he’d totally forgotten about the pizza. That felt like a lifetime ago. He jumped up and looked at David fearfully, before careful opening the door and sticking his head out. When he saw the pizza delivery guy he opened the door more and just took the pizza from him, unable to say words. He’d already paid online so he didn’t need to pay him.

“No tip?” the guy complained as Patrick started to close the door.

“Shhhh.” Patrick closed the door in his face and walked back to David.

“Did you give him a tip?” David asked, his stomach rumbling when he smelled the pizza.

“I don’t have any… tips.”

“Money.”

“I don’t have money.”

“You have money, Patrick.”

“I don’t… I think we should eat the pizza.”

David nodded, snorting at Patrick because he’d already taken a huge mouthful of pizza before even making it back to the couch. Patrick clearly had a lower tolerance than him, even though they were both really high. He found it hilarious and he wanted to record a video of Patrick, but he didn’t think Patrick would appreciate it. Also he had no idea where his phone was. He probably had a million texts about the Alexis thing, but he didn’t care. He was with Patrick, and everything he was perfect.

They watched TV and ate pizza and eventually passed out on the couch. Patrick woke up hours later, still feeling a little high, and woke up David so they could brush their teeth and go to bed. After they were in bed together they cuddled under the blankets and held each other all night. 

The next morning David and Patrick woke up feeling turned on again, and sucked each other off before they even made it out of bed. They had slept in late and knew they had to get out of there in a hurry, but they couldn’t resist. They had told Stevie they’d be out by 11, and definitely didn’t want another awkward interaction with her. They changed the sheets and got dressed and cleaned up from their pizza adventure. David realized that he’d only packed pajamas in his overnight bag, in his hurry to get out of the motel without seeing his family, so he put the same clothes back on from the night before. He had clean underwear and socks, which was all that really mattered. 

Patrick gave David a ride home and kissed him passionately in the parking lot before he went inside, not wanting to say goodbye. They didn’t know when the next time would be that they’d get a chance to be together like that, but they knew they couldn’t wait another two weeks. If they had to get a hotel room every weekend, then so be it. They wouldn’t let anything get in their way, because this felt right. _They_ felt right. This was meant to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw the pizza thing is a true story. I once ordered a pizza while really high and told them I wanted it “whenever” then hung up and didn’t realize for about 3 hours that there was no pizza coming *facepalm*


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is about episode 4.9 The Olive Branch. You know the one. My first draft of this chapter somehow got deleted, so this version is a little shorter and rougher, but I couldn’t put off updating any longer. Expect a tiny bit of angst and a whole lot of tenderness.
> 
> Enjoy :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw your comments help encourage me to keep writing more than anything else, so thank you <3

It had been six days since Patrick had seen David. Since the Rachel incident. It was as if every one of his nightmares had come true. His past had reared its ugly head and he’d crashed into it, like a deer on the highway, but all the carnage was contained within him. 

When Rachel had appeared at the barbecue, like a ghost haunting him, Patrick felt everything he’d built in his new life crumbling around him. It was all his fault too, he could’ve been open and honest with David about his past, about Rachel reaching out to him. He could’ve told Rachel as well that he was gay and in a relationship with someone else. Fear had held him back. Fear of messing things up with David, fear that Rachel would out him to everyone in his hometown -including his parents, before he had the opportunity to do so himself. Now it seemed his fear was a self fulfilling prophecy.

For the first few days, Patrick had hope. He’d sent countless paragraph long texts to David explaining himself, promising that he’d told Rachel he never wanted to see her again and had blocked her number, telling him how much he meant to him. David’s responses had been curt and didn’t address anything he was talking about, but at least he was replying. Even if it was just to tell him where he was and ask for help covering at the store.

Patrick had sent David a box of his favorite expensive German chocolates that he’d had to drive an hour to get, two bouquets of flowers, sent him wine at the spa he’d stayed at, and ordered him a silver bracelet online to be express delivered to the motel. But after all of that, David was still stonewalling him, and he was beginning to lose hope. 

For the last few days he’d been working on another olive branch, a song he could play for David, if only he could get him to come talk to him. But, after all of that, David didn’t respond to his pleading, so he gave up on that idea. He realized that he’d really truly messed things up, and this might very well be the end of the best relationship of his life. It was difficult to cope with. Months of pining and self discovery, only for four short months of happiness. He loved David. Enough so that he’d confessed that love on stage in front of a crowd of people, through song. Enough so that he would be willing to continue working with David, even as platonic business partners, just so he could be around him. 

That night, Patrick laid in his bed, thinking back on all the moments they’d shared together. He’d never felt closer and more complete with anyone in his life, and he didn’t know how he was going to go back to the way life was before David. But more than he was drowning in his own misery and self pity, he worried about David. He knew David had been burned before, likely many times, and he felt so guilty for having added to that pain. All he wanted to do was to show David that it was okay to trust, to open up and be your authentic vulnerable self with another person. But he’d let him down. He had a fleeting fear that David would resort back to self harming, and the idea that he could have any cause in that devastated him, even though he knew it would be entirely David’s decision and not something anyone but David had control of.

Patrick let himself cry for the first time in the near week they’d been apart. His strong façade had finally broken, and he could no longer contain the weight of the grief he felt. Grief for the loss of love, loss of potential, loss of normalcy. Finally he’d found a place in the world that felt right. That felt like home. And now he could have to start from scratch. It was clear that David wasn’t going to forgive him, and he was ready to accept that, at least out loud, and try to salvage what he could of their working relationship.

Holding the pain tight in his chest, Patrick cried himself to sleep. 

When he woke up the next morning, his face was puffy and his eyes were red. Fortunately, Ray was out of town for a few days, so he didn’t have feel embarrassed about being seen like that. He slogged through his morning, splashing cold water on his face and using some of that eucalyptus eye serum David had insisted he purchase. David had convinced him to start using far more skin care products, after evaluating his medicine cabinet. David. Everything in his life now was related to David, and it gave him intense anxiety just thinking about it all. How could he ever go back to his life pre-David, when David was all around him? The memory of him in his bed and in his shower (trying times), the store filled with their kisses and backroom jaunts. Even driving his car wouldn’t be the same, remembering all the times he’d held David’s hand or ran his fingers through his hair while he drove. Their first kiss.

After he’d pulled himself together enough, Patrick went to work. Half of him was hoping that David didn’t show up again so they could delay the inevitable break up, but the other half was desperate to just see him again. To be around him in any capacity. For the first couple hours he was there, David was a no show. Patrick was trying to keep himself busy, but he kept glancing toward the door, waiting for him to walk in. 

Finally the bell jingled and Patrick’s head snapped in its direction, watching as David nervously strolled through the door, wearing a thick black leather sweater. “Hi,” David greeted him softly.

“Hi.”

Patrick filled with dread as David sighed and walked over to him. This was it, the end of what had only just begun. 

“So,” David started, “after some time alone, I just wanted to come here, and tell you that I—“

“David, I need to apologize to you,” Patrick beat him to the punch, “I was going to sleep last night and I realized I have not been respectful of your space. All of the texts, and the gifts. Uh, I was upset and it was reactionary, and I thought I was doing the right thing, but really all I was doing was smothering you, when you’d asked for space. And that’s not right.” 

“Okay, well smothering’s a bit intense,” David tried to talk him down, quickly realizing that he’d make the situation worse by waiting too long to get back together. 

“It was self-serving, and it was desperate, and, and I’m— I’m embarrassed.”

“Okay, there’s no need to feel embarrassed.”

“Well, I am. I’ve just been trying to deal with everything here at the store, and I think you’re right. It’s probably better if we just.. focus on the business and— and not try to push anything.” 

“I’m not sure I said _that_.”

“You didn’t have to. In fact, by saying nothing at all, you… you spoke volumes.”

“Okay. S— so you would like to focus on the store then?”

No, Patrick thought. Not in the slightest, but it was better than nothing. “I think that’s probably a good idea. But hey, it’s good to have you back.” Patrick stepped forward to embrace David in what could be their final hug. It stung in every part of him, but he kept it short and professional. When he let go, he had to hold back tears, and needed to get out of there quick. “So uh…” he mumbled, turning to got do something against the back wall, where David couldn’t see his face.

There. They’d done it. They’d broken up. Patrick had thought he’d feel sad when it happened, but he just felt numb and empty. As if he’d been hollowed him out and now he was just moving by muscle memory, his body just going through the motions. It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced since he was young and his grandma that he was close with had died. 

David was aware of how messy the situation was due to his lack of communication, but he wasn’t sure what to do next. He was pretty certain that Patrick didn’t really want to break up, based on the barrage of heartfelt texts he’d received in the last week. Obviously he was hurting though, and it was David’s fault. That level of emotional intelligence wasn’t easy for him, but he knew that somehow he needed to fix things.

They danced around each other awkwardly for a couple hours, dealing with customers and avoiding eye contact and conversation. Eventually they ended up next to each other, unpacking a box of hand creams, when David’s hand brushed Patrick’s. He batted at his hand for a moment, just wanting to grab it, to grab Patrick and make everything normal again.

Patrick clenched his jaw when David touched his hand, trying to hide him emotions. “You know what? I’m probably good to finish up this up…” 

“Okay.”

“…If you wanna go for lunch.” He noticed David looking at him with exasperation and snapped at him, “what?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

“I just did. I’m happy to finish doing the creams . I— I don’t think it’s a two-person job.”

“Okay so you’re just gonna stay here and not have lunch then? Or are we going in shifts?”

“I don’t know David, I’m just trying to be professional here, okay?” This was all so hard already, and he didn’t understand why David was being so difficult. It was like he was rubbing salt in his wounds. “I think this is gonna take a minute to get used to.”

“I don’t want to get used to this! I don’t wanna _pretend_ like we’re coworkers!”

“We are coworkers!”

“Okay… I just liked it better when we were more than that.

“David, I’m just trying to go off of what you wanted.” 

“You didn’t let me finish telling you what I wanted! I was ready to get back together days ago!”

“What?” Patrick asked incredulously. A bubble of hope was starting to build inside of him, but he was also very confused.

“Yes.”

“Then why didn’t we??”

David looked at a loss for words for moment before finally admitting, “I’ve never been in this situation before. Where someone’s been so nice… to me… and generous.” 

“I’m sorry, were you holding back on talking to me because you were getting _gifts_?”

David realized he was in the doghouse, but he tried to justify himself. “I was very upset and confused, so upset that I_ barely_ finished the chocolates.”

“David. This wasn’t mean to be some advent calendar of apologies. It was like an _olive branch_ to get you to talk to me.” Patrick was quickly realizing that he’d misread the entire situation, and that they weren’t breaking up. He felt so much relief and excitement, but he tried to hide it because he was actually pissed at David. He’d cried himself to sleep last night when they could’ve been together, with _no Ray._

“I just, I guess, didn’t know how _many_ olive branches we’re planning on extending.”

“Ideally one!”

“Okay, well, now I know.”

“Yeah! And now I know that while I was torturing myself, you were sitting at home, just opening gifts.” He noticed David was wearing the bracelet he got him and reached out to touch it. “I see you like the bracelet.”

“I love the bracelet, thank you. Um… does this mean that we… are back?” David asked, creeping his fingers up Patrick’s shoulders and giving them a rub.

“You know what? I feel like now maybe I deserve an olive branch or two?”

“Okay, I understand that. What if… I gave you you back some of the olive branches that you gave to me? I was lying about the chocolates, I ate them all. But I’m sure there are some flowers that are still alive.”

Patrick was leaning on the merchandise table as he listened to David attempt to save himself. He tried not to show just how happy he was under his annoyance and frustration. When David was finished Patrick grabbed the sides of his head, and held it firmly in his hands. “You know what I’m gonna do?” he asked him, looking right in his eyes.

“Mmhm.”

“I’m gonna go to lunch, and you’re gonna sit here, and think about what you’ve done, okay?” It took a lot of restraint for him to not just kiss David. It would’ve been so easy, but what kind of message would that send?

“Okay.” 

“Okay,” David agreed. He was hugely turned on by that exchange. Very authoritarian, Patrick. Like he was his sexy principal writing him up for being _naughty_. “Um, while you’re at lunch, can you get me some lunch?” he called after Patrick as he was walking out of the store. 

“Unbelievable.” Patrick shook his head. But as soon as he stepped outside, a grin stretched across his face that he could no longer contain. Everything was going to be okay. They definitely had a lot left to talk about, but they didn’t break up, and they were going to be okay. In that moment, Patrick realized just how deeply he was in love with David. He’d known for a while that he loved him, but it wasn’t until he’d thought he’d lost him, that he knew just how far gone he was and how much he never wanted them to break up for real. And even though David had acted childish and selfish, and careless with their relationship, his instincts told him that he felt the same way for him. He’d never done this before, and Patrick knew that going into this. He’d known there would be growing pains. 

Patrick took a long lunch at the café, taking his time to eat and think about everything, before heading back to the store to let David go have his lunch. He’d considered buying him some lunch anyway, but he wanted to make him to work for it. To put in even a fraction of the effort he had, toward their reconciliation. Also he wanted to have a little fun with it while he could.

Throughout the day he teased David. Getting close and making him think he was going to kiss him, just to ask him to take out the trash or complete some other errand. At one point when there were no customers, he came up right behind David and pressed his body against him as he leaned passed him to grab a clipboard off the desk. It was part tease, and part craving to touch his body.

David let out a little pouty huff and shook his head. It wasn’t fair, he thought, he was a victim here too. They’d both suffered. They’d both gone a week without touching each other. Who cares whose fault it was?? He knew he needed to get in Patrick’s good graces again though, so he accepted the teases and did his best to contain the sass.

“It’s too bad…” Patrick trailed off, taunting David.

“What? What is too bad?”

“It’s too bad we didn’t get back together “days ago” because Ray’s been out of town since _Monday_. Tonight’s his last night away.” He knew damn well that he was taking David home with him tonight, but he wanted him to realize just how much he’d missed out on. “Oh well…”

David knew that it had been a colossal fuck up on his part. No chocolates or jewelry were worth missing multiple consecutive nights of freedom with Patrick. That was such a rare opportunity for them, and he’d blown it. If he wanted to not miss out on another chance to be alone with Patrick, he’d have to think of something, and fast. 

All day David had been brainstorming ideas for his olive branch, but nothing felt right. He knew he needed to make a grand gesture. Their entire relationship, Patrick had been so vulnerable and taken so many leaps for them. He’d invested in the business, he’d asked David on their first date, he’d confessed his love through song in front of a crowd of people. David’s realized that he needed to do something in that vein, to shout to the world how much he cared for Patrick. Finally he came up with an idea. He knew exactly what he needed to do, but it would have to wait until later.

“Okay David,” Patrick started after they’d finally closed up the store. “Well, I’m gonna go to dinner. And if you wanted to join me, and pay for it, that could be a start.”

“Yeah maybe I could do that,” David agreed as he pulled out a chair. “Uh, I just think I have something to do first… So.” He pointed to the chair to make Patrick to sit down, and walked to the speaker at the back of the store. 

“What is this?” Patrick asked, already amused. He didn’t know what was going on but he was definitely eager to find out. 

“Consider this my olive branch.” David started the song on his phone and sauntered back toward Patrick, moving to the beat of the music.

Patrick immediately recognized the tune as ‘Simply the Best’ by Tina Turner, the song he’d sang to David, at their open mic night. A warmth came over him, and he watched in wonderment as David began to dance and lip sync to the ballad. He couldn’t hide the joy and humor on his face, watching David doing something he must find absolutely humiliating and entirely outside of his comfort zone, for him. He glanced out the dark windows and told David, “you know people can see you right?”

The question was ignored as David started dancing more passionately around him. It was obvious that people seeing him was the point, he was being extremely vulnerable and showcasing his feeling for Patrick to the whole world. Well, their small little world at least. Patrick knew without a doubt in that moment, that David loved him too. Even if he may not be ready to admit it.

Near the end of the song Patrick was laughing so hard he was almost in tears. This was the most beautiful thing David had ever done for him, but it was also the most entertaining. David grabbed his hands and pulled him up out of his chair to dance with him through the end of the song. When it was over they were both laughing their asses off, holding each other. The feeling of normalcy between them had finally returned, and they held each other tightly for a while, just breathing each other in. 

After a minute Patrick pulled away just enough to plant a soft kiss on David’s lips. It had only been a week, but he’d missed this more than anything. More than sex, more than laughter, just their sweet loving embraces. It took everything in Patrick to not tell David ‘I love you’ right then and there. The timing just wasn’t right and David had been vulnerable enough for one day. They needed to take things one step at a time, and they needed to talk.

Thrilled that Patrick had finally kissed him, David took advantage of the opportunity and kissed Patrick back harder, squeezing his body close and feeling some release of the heat and tension that had been building between them all day. He wanted to just pull Patrick into the backroom and push him up against the wall, but he could tell Patrick wasn’t quite there yet. After a minute he broke it off and asked, “you still want to get dinner? I’m starving.”

“I bet you are,” Patrick laughed, “you worked up quite an appetite huh?”

“Yes. Yes I did.” David made a note that he needed to start going to the gym more, because that was a _workout_. The fact that he was wearing his leather Givenchy sweater in the dead of summer didn’t help.

They locked up the store and headed over to the café, hand in hand. They held hands across the table they whole time they ate, except for when David went to the bathroom to blot. He was _very_ sweaty. Now that they were touching each other again, neither one of them wanted to stop.

Patrick knew that the only way to insure something like this didn’t happen again was to lay all their cards on the table. To be completely open and honest with each other. So he decided to start the conversation.

“I want to know everything about you, David. The good, the bad. I want you to share your past with me, and I’ll share mine with you. I know this is… hard, but I think it’s really important that we do this.”

David knew he was right. He’d talked with Stevie about the situation when they were staying at the spa, and she’d convinced him as well, that he should open up to Patrick. The memories of past rejections still felt fresh, but he knew Patrick was different. Patrick who had kissed his scars instead of condemning them. Who had seen potential in David, that he didn’t even know he had. 

“Okay, you first. Tell me about… _Raaachel_. Why did you… When… Just talk please.”

“Okay, um. So… me and Rachel grew up together. We went to church together and we were good friends for years and then in high school we just started dating. It was her idea, and I kinda just went along with it because… I didn’t know what else I was supposed to do. I— I _did_ love her, but it took me a long time to realize that it was a platonic love. She was just… my best friend. But things weren’t… _great_, ever. We fought a lot, and we hid it from everyone. I think we were both.. seeking something that we couldn’t give each other. We probably broke up like five times, but every time we did, I would try to date other women, and it still didn’t feel real. Or right. It felt like I was just pretending. So, so then when she’d push for us to get back together, I’d always come back, because I didn’t know what else to do.”

It was really difficult for Patrick to explain all of this to David, to admit how little control he’d had in his relationship and life for over a decade. He was embarrassed by how much he’d lacked self awareness. But everything he went through lead to him being where he was in his life, and to being with David. So even if none of it happened ‘for a reason’ and the outcome was entirely random, he was just grateful that the journey brought him here.

“But you were going to _marry_ her… why? If everything was so bad… then why?” 

“I don’t know, David. It just happened. We’d been together for so long and my parents were really close with her, and her family. They were always pushing me to propose, and it just seemed like what I was supposed to do. I felt trapped. I don’t know I— I thought somehow it would fix our problems… She— she _cheated_ on me. Multiple times. Because I wasn’t, I don’t know… Affectionate enough? Intimate enough. Just… enough. I was never all in. And I just _kept_ forgiving her. It was like going through the motions all the time. When it came time to start actually planning for the wedding I realized that I was making a fucking huge mistake. I didn’t know what it was that I needed, but I just knew I couldn’t.. do it anymore. I couldn’t spend the _rest of my life_ feeling stuck and lost and just, just…” Patrick took a deep breath and David squeezed his hand. “So I left, for the last time. I called off the engagement and packed my things and just drove. I ended up in a motel for a while until I was running out of money, and then I found Ray’s ad online and I jumped on it. I deleted all my social media and ignored everyone’s texts and told my parents that me and Rachel were over... Even if I hadn’t met you David, I really don’t think I would’ve gone back. I had to get away from it all to finally realize my self worth. To realize that I _deserved_ to be treated right. To feel happiness. Even if I didn’t know _how_ to find it.” 

David felt a lot of empathy for Patrick. He couldn’t relate to being trapped in a dead end relationship for years, but he could certainly relate to be cheated on and mistreated. It was remarkable to him how open and trusting Patrick could still be after all of that. “Thank you for… sharing that. That was really, that was brave. I still… I wish you’d told me that you were talking with her the whole time we were together. Can you understand how gross that makes me feel? Like I keep thinking back on all the times I saw you texting _anyone_ and wondering if you were like, smiling at her_ jokes_, and thinking about—“

“NO, David. Sorry for cutting you off, but NO it wasn’t like that. You can read the texts! I didn’t delete them, I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret from you, I promise. It just never felt like the right time to bring it up. We weren’t flirting or anything close to that. _She_ kept texting me and asking me, like, where I was and what I was doing and saying she was worried about me. She kept talking to my parents to figure out more information about me. That’s how she knew I was here._ They_ told her cause they thought they were helping. They thought we were just gonna get back together inevitably and get married, and give them fucking grandkids. But I didn’t— I never played into it. I kept telling her that I wasn’t coming back and asking her to leave me alone and stop texting me. And she would for a while, but then it would start up again. Eventually I stopped replying at all, because I was just so _over_ it. I was so happy with you and I didn’t have any desire to even _think_ about her, in any capacity. But then… she just showed up and everything went to hell.”

It was a lot to process for David. He believed that Patrick was telling him the truth, and he wanted to trust him fully, but a part of him still had a hard time letting go. He knew Patrick was good. So much better of a partner and a human being, than anyone he’d been with before. It just that his own ability to trust -anyone- was damaged. His anxiety told him that even though Patrick was good, he was still destined to leave him or hurt him someday. Because people in David’s life didn’t stick around.

“So did you not tell her you were in a relationship with someone else? Or did she just not care?”

“I… I didn’t tell her. I couldn’t. It’s not… Okay, David. I can _see_ how your brain is twisting this already, but no. I am NOT ashamed or embarrassed to be with you. Please don’t ever think that for a second. I am so proud of you, David. I feel so lucky. I wouldn’t have gone up in front of a crowd and sang about how much I… care about you, if I didn’t want the world to know. It’s just, it’s more complicated than that. Okay? I didn’t want to have to explain myself and my sexuality, to my ex. To have to answer any questions or just, anything. After everything we went through, everything she put me through, I just didn’t want to have that conversation. I wanted it to be in the past so you and I could move forward. Obviously she knows _now_. I seriously had to _beg_ her not to contact me or my family again and she finally agreed to just… let me go.”

“So you’re sure? You’re 100% sure that you’re not just gonna wake up one day and realize that you miss her and—“

“100%. 100%! I have never been happier in my life, and I can’t see that changing. And David, I am _gay_. I know your sexuality is more fluid, but for me it’s not like that. I’m gay. No matter what happens in the future, I’m never going to go back to lying to myself and being with women. It’s just NOT gonna happen. So can we please move on now? Can we forget about her?_ I_ have. I promise.”

David still had a lot of questions. He wanted to turn the whole thing inside out so he could dwell on the details and have more to feel bad about, but he knew it wasn’t right to keep dragging Patrick through it all. “Okay. Fine, okay. Let’s forget about Rachel. Buh-bye Rachel. Do you have anything else you want to share with the class before I unload _my_ mountain of baggage onto you?” He looked around at the cafe that was starting to get busier, making their private conversation a lot less private. “Preferably back at your place?”

“Oh yeah, you think you’re coming home with me?” Patrick teased.

“Uh, yes, obviously.”

“Ohh right, _obviously_. I don’t— I don’t think I have anything else to add right now, but you can ask me anything. And yeah, we can put a hold on this conversation until then.”

“Good, because I don’t think I’m ready to birth the entirety of my trauma in the hub of a town that spreads gossip faster than the tabloids. And I once had TMZ release my DUI mugshot before I’d even had my one phone call. Luckily for them, I looked _very cute_ in those photos.” 

“I know you did.”

“Excusez moi?”

“Don’t pretend like you haven’t looked _me_ up online.”

“Okay yes, I did, and it was highly disappointing. How much intel could one possibly gather from an old LinkedIn account and an album of landscape photos on Shutterfly labelled “hike things”? Very unbalanced odds here. My entire _life_ is online!”

“And yet, I’ve seen it all and I’m still here. So you know you can tell me anything, anything at all. I’m not going anywhere. But, uh, yeah, let’s just talk about later.”

It was both terrifying and relieving to know that Patrick had already been aware of so much about his past. And for who knows how long? It meant that he would be less surprised by a lot of what David was going to tell him, at least. 

They finished up their meal and Patrick drove them over to his place. David had begun keeping a bag of overnight things in Patrick’s car and a few toiletries at Ray’s, so they didn’t have to stop by the motel every time they decided to spend the night together. In the last few days, Patrick had agonized over the thought of having to return David’s things, staring at the extra toothbrush in his bathroom every morning. 

When they got there David sat on the couch as Patrick went to pour them some glasses of wine. He brought David his glass and sat beside him on the couch, seeing the nervousness on his face. He knew that David was worried he wouldn’t accept him, but there was really nothing he could say to make Patrick abandon him. He’d stuck around in a shitty relationship for a _decade_ with someone he loved a lot less than David. Patrick was pretty big on commitment.

“So how—“

“Do you—“ They spoke at the same time, then Patrick gestured for David to go first.

“I don’t really know where to begin here… there’s a lot of… there’s a lot.”

“Um… well, you already told me about the last person you were with, Jake right?”

“Wellll, not exactly.”

“Oh?”

Patrick listened as David reluctantly explained the Sebastian Raine situation. He hadn’t known that David had been with anyone since they’d been business partners, and it hurt to hear about. But they hadn’t been together yet, even if he’d already been pining for David. He had no claim on him, no right to be upset about it. David explained to him their past relationship as well, how he’d been dumped and had the photos of his scars uploaded online, and how he’d gone into a deep depression. 

It was really difficult for David to be this candid with Patrick about everything, but once he started talking he couldn’t stop. The words just fell out. He explained how most of his relationships had been short flings that always ended with him being hurt or dumped. He couldn’t even count how many times he’d been cheated on or found out that _he_ was the other person. It all made Patrick feel so angry at those people, and protective of David. He would never make him hurt like that again.

David admitted that he’d never had a partner tell him they loved him. And that he’d only said it three times before. Twice to his family and once at a Mariah Carey concert. He told Patrick about the way his exes had acted disgusting by his scars, or had broken up with him when he relapsed.

“Do you still… can I ask when the last time was that you…?” Patrick still had a worry in the back of his mind that he could’ve hurt David enough for him to relapse, with the whole Rachel thing. 

“It’s been 8 years. I don’t think I’ll ever do it again. It— it no longer serves me. So don’t worry, you won’t ever have to deal with it.”

“David, you know I would never leave you if you did, right? You know that? I mean, I really hope you never feel so low that you _do_ relapse, but I would never _ever_ hold that against you.” Patrick felt immense relief at the fact that David wasn’t self harming anymore. He was telling the truth that he wouldn’t hold it against him, but it still would’ve broken his heart. 

David crawled into Patrick’s lap and leaned his head against the crook of his neck. Patrick wrapped his arms around him and squeezed him tight. “I know I’m not like, a complete victim. I could’ve surrounded myself with people who didn’t just want to use and abuse me. I think I was afraid of anything too real. Because in my life, nothing was real. Not my family, not my friends, not my gallery success. Nothing. I didn’t know how to _do_ real until I moved to Schitt’s Creek.”

“I think we’re kinda in the same boat there… Thank you, David.” Patrick kissed the top of his head. It felt freeing to have shared everything with each other. All the walls were down, and there were no barriers left between them. He tilted David’s chin up and kissed him on the lips. 

“You know. I did have one more olive branch I’d planned on giving you,” Patrick hadn’t meant to say it, but they’d had a couple glasses of wine at this point and his inhibitions were lowered. He’d realized when he was working on it, then it was probably too much, too soon. But it was too late to go back now.

“Oh really? You mean I should’ve waited _another_ day to talk to you?” David joked, making fun of himself. 

“Keep it up, David.”

“I’m sorry, Patrick. I’m learning, okay? So… what is it? Can I eat it?” 

“No, you can’t eat it,” Patrick laughed. “Come on.” He gave David a soft push to indicate that he wanted him to get off his lap, then took his hand and lead him upstairs. When they got to his room, David looked around, expecting to see a neatly wrapped gift somewhere. When he didn’t find anything, he sat down on the bed and looked at Patrick, who’d been watching him with amusement.

“Okay I give up, what is it?” 

Patrick was nervous, but he needed to just commit. Without saying anything, he walked over and grabbed his guitar. He sat on the edge of the bed and tuned it for a moment. His heart was pounding. He’d always felt more confident performing for a large audience, than one on one. It was the most intimate thing he could do. 

When Patrick began to play, David recognized the song and he was pretty sure it was something he’d heard a couple times on the radio, while driving around with Patrick. He lied down on his side, propped up on his elbow with his head in his hand, and listened as Patrick began to sing.

_Don't wanna get ahead of myself_  
Feeling things I've never felt  
It's kinda hard for me to explain  
His personality and everything  
Brings me to my knees, oh  
He shines me up like gold on my arm  
I wanna take it slow but it's so hard  
I love to see his face in daylight  
It's more than just our bodies at night  
But he’s really tempting me, oh  
Do you think I'm being foolish if I don't rush in? 

_I, I, I, I'm scared to death that he might be it_  
That the love is real, that the shoe might fit  
He might just be my everything and beyond (beyond)  
Space and time in the afterlife  
Will he have my kids? Will he stay for life?  
He might just be my everything and beyond 

_I wanna bring him 'round to meet ya_  
I think you'd like his kind demeanor  
I know that Grandma would've loved him, like he was her own  
He makes me feel at home, oh  
Do you think I'm being foolish if I don't rush in? 

_I'm scared to death that he might be it_  
That the love is real, that the shoe might fit  
He might just be my everything and beyond (beyond)  
Space and time in the afterlife  
Will he have my kids? Will he stay for life?  
He might just be my everything and beyond 

_I give up, I'm in love crying, out to you_  
Oh me oh my I can't explain  
He might just be my everything  
Oh me oh my I can't explain  
He might just be my everything  
Oh me oh my I can't explain  
He might just be my everything  
So do you think I'm being foolish if I don't rush in? 

_I'm scared to death that he might be it_  
That the love is real, that the shoe might fit  
He might just be my everything and beyond (beyond)  
Space and time in the afterlife  
Will he have my kids? Will he stay for life?  
He might just be my everything and beyond, yeah 

_Oh me oh my I can't explain_  
He might just be my everything  
Oh me oh my I can't explain  
He might just be my everything  
Oh me oh my I can't explain  
He might just be my everything  
He might just be mine, be mine 

While Patrick was singing, he couldn’t look at David. He knew that it was just a cover, but the words still held a lot of weight, and it felt really personal. He couldn’t tell David ‘I love you’ yet, because he was sure David wasn’t ready to say it back, but he was able to express it in this way, without making him feel obligated. When he finished he looked up at David, anxious for his reaction. 

David was holding back tears, listening to Patrick. The song was beautiful sounding, especially with Patrick’s voice, but the fact that Patrick related to the lyrics so much that he’d wanted to sing it to him, spoke a lot about his feelings. He walked on his knees down the bed to wrap his arms around Patrick, awkwardly trying to hug him around the guitar. 

Laughing, Patrick wiggled away to set his guitar down, then embraced David and held him close. There were so many emotions going through both of them. It had been a long day, filled with angst, relief, joy, laughter, understanding, and love. The cumulative weight of it all had built up so much desire between, that the cup began to overflow. Suddenly, they needed each other and couldn’t think of anything else. They started to kiss passionately, their hands groping and rubbing each other’s bodies.

“Fuck, I missed you,” Patrick whispered, pulling David into his lap so he had his legs wrapped around him, and grinding his dick against him, through their jeans. There had been plenty of week long stretches in the past where they hadn’t had any opportunities to have sex, but none had felt so endless as this week had. Patrick had thought they’d never get to do this again, and it made it all so much hotter.

David pulled off his sweater that he’d been overheating in all day and tossed it aside. Normally he’d worry about creases, but right now nothing mattered but Patrick. He started unbuttoning Patrick’s shirt, his fingers fumbling. After it was half undone he got impatient and just yanked it off over Patrick’s head. They’d been having sex for months and it all felt natural now. They were attuned to each other’s bodies.

They made out for a while, grinding and touching and tasting, until Patrick needed more. He laid David back and pulled down his skirted pants and underwear, which David kicked the rest of the way off. Then he lied down and wiggled out of his own jeans and underwear. As soon as he was finished, David was on top of him, grabbing his dick and licking up his neck, making his shudder. 

David placed a soft bite on Patrick’s shoulder, then slid down the suck his dick. He wanted this to last, so he took it easy on him, just getting him completely hard and craving more. Patrick was moaning under his touch, and gripping David’s hair the way he liked. Once he was really hard David reached over and pulled the lube out of the side table. He loved their foreplay and taking it slow, but right how he just needed Patrick inside of him. He squeezed some lube onto his fingers and quickly rubbed some into himself and onto Patrick’s dick. Then he straddled Patrick and slowly lowered himself onto his dick. There was some burning, but he didn’t care. He’d be sore later, but right now he needed to feel everything.

Patrick threw his head back and groaned loudly as David clamped down on his dick, feeling tighter than ever. He let David get adjusted for a minute before he started thrusting his hips up to fuck into him. David leaned forward so Patrick could have more space to thrust harder, but after a while he leaned too far and his dick slipped out. Moving off of Patrick, he positioned himself on his hands and knees. 

Patrick got on his knees and put a little more lube on his dick, then came up behind David and started to fuck him hard. After a minute he grabbed David’s hair to pull him back so they were both on his knees, only Patrick’s hand in his hair keeping him upright. “You feel so good,” he moaned into the back of David’s neck, his other hand stroking his cock at the same pace as his thrusts. The sex was rough and dirty, not too sensual and sweet, but it was exactly what they needed to just completely take over their senses with pleasure.

David lost his balance and ended up falling forward, flat on his stomach, and Patrick moved with him so he was almost flat on top of him. David arched his back and stuck his booty out so he could get a better angle, and Patrick pounded into him, the warmth and closeness making their bodies feel like one. They melded together, their sweat mixing and bodies moving in sync. 

Often, they had to be quiet during sex, but tonight they were free to cry out as loud as they pleased. David didn’t hold anything back, shouting, “YES! Harder! Fuck me!” as his face pressed into the mattress and each thrust knocked the wind out of him. He loved having passionate, face to face sex with tons of kissing, but what he loved more than anything was getting absolutely dominated by Patrick.

They had experimented some with Patrick, David fingering him a little during blow jobs and eating his ass (both well received), but they’d never attempted having Patrick bottom. The both agreed that they wanted to try it eventually, but it was up to Patrick when and where. Either way, David was more than happy with their current arrangement.

After a while, Patrick was completely exhausted and panting hard but he could feel his orgasm approaching, so he powered through. His thrusts became shallower and less precise, and he felt the warmth building inside until he finally came, filling David with his load and trying to fuck him as deep as he could with the last few thrusts. He hadn’t jerked off at all while they were apart, because he was too upset, so his orgasm felt incredible. His whole body was buzzing and he felt dizzy, but he was careful not to collapse on David.

When he pulled out David winced, it definitely stung, but it was so worth it. He was desperate for his own release now and started grinding into the mattress for a moment, before turning over. When Patrick moved to suck his dick, he slapped it softly against the side of his face, before letting him take it in his mouth. Patrick was an expert at this now, and knew how to make him come quickly. He loved to gag on his dick and suck on his taint and was he just _relentless_. He put pressure on David’s lower stomach with his hand and didn’t let up, even though he was out of breath and his face was covered in saliva, just running on adrenaline until David came down his throat with a cry of pleasure. He swallowed around him and then eased up, gently lapping at the head of his dick as the last of his cum trickled out. 

Once they’d both come, they melted into each other, lying in a sweaty tangled heap and in desperate need of water. Patrick’s head rested on David’s chest, which was rising and falling heavily with his breathing. “I’m dying,” Patrick groaned, his throat dry and body aching. 

“Well too bad, I don’t have any energy left for CPR.”

“Yeah right, I did all the work!”

“Did you forgot my impressive and entirely unchoreographed dance routine?”

“What?! You didn’t have a professional choreograph that? I’m in shock.”

“Shut up, you loved it.”

“Yeah, I did. Thank you, for doing that for me.” Patrick kissed David’s hairy chest then peeled his sweaty body off of him. He’d been blasting the A/C while Ray was away, but it was still an exceptionally hot night, and upstairs didn’t cool down as much. He wiped his dick clean with a dirty t shirt from his laundry basket, then threw on some pajama pants and went downstairs to get them glasses of water while David headed to the bathroom. Eventually they’d need to shower, but he felt too lazy and content to care right now. 

After they were somewhat cleaner and rehydrated, they ended up back on the couch downstairs. It wasn’t super late so they watched a movie and cuddled. At one point late into the movie, David looked up at Patrick and told him, “I don’t know if I want to have kids. With anyone. Ever.” 

Patrick was surprised for a second, then started to laugh when he realized what he was talking about. “It’s just a song, David. Ignore that part. And I don’t think you’ve got anything to worry about, our current birth control method is supposed to be 100% effective.” Patrick would be happy to be a dad someday, but he didn’t have his heart set on it, and that definitely wasn’t something they needed to be worrying about any time soon. 

“I know that,” David laughed along with him, “just in case it’s a deal breaker, I thought I’d put that out on the table.”

“While I admire your out of character preparedness, I _really_ don’t think this is of any concern right now. Stop looking for an out, I told you, you’re gonna have to try a lot harder than that to get rid of me.”

“Okay, Mr. Brewer.”

“Okay, _Mr. Rose_?” Patrick laughed, and they went back to watching the movie (an awful J.Lo rom com). 

The drastic shift between how miserable Patrick had felt 24 hours ago and how amazing he felt now, holding his boyfriend and laughing with him over stupid movie dialogue, made one thing very clear to him. He wanted this to last forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Patrick is covering is “Beyond” by Leon Bridges. He heard the song on the radio then listened to his music on repeat on Spotify, thinking about David. I recommend doing so yourself <3
> 
> Unrelated note here: did anyone else notice that when they first met in season 3 it was while Ray was taking a couple’s engagement photos? Coincidence or not, very good foreshadowing there.


End file.
